Scattered By Destiny
by JC785
Summary: When a mysterious dragon suddenly attacks a high school football game, a group of teens get sent to a land where dragons, magic, and elves are more than real, its a way of life. They have been thrown into the world of Skyrim, and will set out on adventures only ones could ever dream of. *ON HIATUS*
1. A Night of Destiny

**Scattered By Destiny**

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AN:

_JC785: What's up people of Fanfiction Land! Its JC785 here, bringing you an all new story. First off, this story is co-written by my best friend, FlygonNick. If you want to read a good zombies story, head on over to his profile. _

_Now I can't give a proper update schedule, cause I'm dealing with cross town school stuff on a weekly basis. But I'll try to get them out as quick as I can. And on some chapters, FlygonNick will take the reigns for that one. _

_Anyways, I hope you guys like this story. I feel like this will be a big sucess :) Oh, also I don't own Skyrim._

_Enjoy the chapter!_

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**Chapter 1: A Night of Destiny**

**By: JC785 &amp; FlygonNick**

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It was the night of the last football game of the season for the Bradburn High School Marching Panthers, and it was one no one would ever forget. It was the night where everything would change. Where innocence would be lost, and a new adventure would begin.

There was two minutes left in the 4th quarter, and the score was 76-14, and it looked like the football team was losing _yet again._ The crowd was raving and cheering, or at least the Away team was. As for the Panthers, it was more of a "please let this end so we can go already" sort of attitude. The band watched on, eyeing the football team with distaste and silently thinking that the cheerleaders could probably play better than the football team was doing now.

One trumpet player in the Bradburn High School Marching Band, Nicholas, let out a sigh. He was a pale teenager of medium height, about 5'6, with short blonde hair and glasses that covered his green eyes.

"I think this settles it. Our football team will _not_ be winning this game. Just like last year…and the year before…and the year before." Nicholas said in an annoyed tone.

"Our team sucks." A sousaphone player named Joseph said with a look of disappointment. Joseph stood taller than most people in band, had short brown hair, and the eyes of someone you could trust. He was a bit immature at times, but made up for it with the level of maturity he carried with him.

"Not really, they're good. It's just that some teams get lucky, or are just better." Nicholas reasoned.

"I can see that." Joseph said with a laugh.

Nicholas started laughing too and said "At least the band is good, that's all that's that really matters."

"So true." A trombone player named John walking up to the two teens. John was about medium height and had light brown hair, a large nose, and a rather pimply face. He was a rather smart teen, but had a problem accepting things that didn't make sense.

"Well maybe the football team can pull up a bit and score some before this ends." A trumpet player named Jessica said. Jessica was short and had long brown hair. She was the giddy one of the group of friends, and could keep a smile on her face most of the time. After she spoke, the teens watched as the opposing teams quarterback dashed through Bradburn's defenses and scored yet again. The band let out a groan of agony.

"Can this night get any worse?" John spoke out. As soon as he said that, a roar of thunder sounded off in the distance.

"Great, you pissed off karma." Joe said, looking at John with annoyance.

"Karma isn't real Joe." John shot back at Joe. The two soon got into an argument, while Nicholas looked at the sky in confusion. Suddenly, the roaring sound of thunder sounded again, but Nicholas could not see the lightning.

"Would you two stop bickering for a moment?" Nicholas said to Joe and John. The pair looked at him in confusion. "Where's the lightning?" When Nicholas said that, the others, and some band members, looked up at the sky as well, wondering the same question.

"Maybe it's just hidden behind some…" Jessica started to say before she saw something in the sky zoom by. Upon seeing it, her body locked up and she wasn't moving. The others looked at her, but before they could do anything, the roaring sound was much closer this time, but it didn't sound like thunder now.

On the visitor's stands, a large black creature fell from the sky and landed on the stands, killing all those under it, or leaving them in crippling pain. The black creature shifted and it rose, showing off its spiked scales and its blood red eyes that glowed like a sun. It reared its head into the sky and let out an ear-splitting roar, causing the clouds to open and meteors raining from the sky. The creature then expanded its wings and started to rise into the sky.

"What the hell is going on? What the hell is that?!" Joseph shouted out.

Nicholas hesitated before replying. "That's a dragon!" He then hopped off the stands and started running for the busses. Joseph, John, and Jessica all followed Nicholas, hoping to escape the destruction surrounding them.

"Nicholas, watch out!" John shouted at Nicholas, but it was too late. The black dragon landed not 5 feet in front of Nicholas and the others. Nicholas stumbled backwards and crashed into the others with a yell of horror. The black dragon reared its head back and let out a roar that almost sounded like words. The world went white for the teens, and then everything faded to black.

...

The world was cold. Or at least it was wherever Nicholas was. The feeling he had waking up was like that of falling off a cliff, everything hurt and nothing felt right. He groaned as he sat up and tired looking around. His glasses fell off, leaving the world around him looking blurry.

"Uhhh….Joseph…Jess...John?" He called out, only to hear his own voice echo off the walls. He needed to figure out where he was, lest he freeze to death.

Pain wracked through his body as he tried to sit up, but managed to do it nonetheless. He felt around for his glasses, finding them a few feet away. One of the lenses was cracked, but he could still see out them. The next few moments were spent with him trying to get to his feet, pain coursing through his body once more. One he got on his feet, he got a good look at his surroundings. He was surprised and shocked to say the least.

"_What the hell. Am I in a crypt?_" Nicholas thought to himself as he saw the row and shelves' of decaying bodies and skeletons. Some were wrapped in cloth, other had weapons on their sides, or shields in place of the swords. He back away slowly from the crypt wall and turned around, looking for a way out.

While walking around, Nicholas kicked a rock by accident, causing it to bang against an old looking pot. The gong-like sound spooked him, but not by much. Suddenly, he heard a creaking sound coming from behind him. He turned around and became paralyzed with fear.

One of the corpses that was on the lowest shelf had swung its legs out and stood up. Its eyes shined with a light blue glow as it reared its remaining teeth and drew an ancient looking sword. Nicholas turned around quickly and ran away from the thing. Ahead of him, there was a staircase that leads up a few landings to a large steel door, decorated with ancient looking symbols.

Nicholas went and ran up the stairs to the door. "Here's to hoping it's a way out." He mumbled to himself quickly before he pushed on the door. It opened up slowly with his force, and eventually he was able to run out and push it closed. He could hear the door banging from the other side, but it eventually stopped. When he turned around, the sight before him shocked him.

The area all around him was covered in snow, as far as Nicholas could see. The trees that stood all around him were 10 stories high, all of them looking like a form of pine tree. It wasn't the snow, or the trees that shocked Nicholas the most though. Up in the sky were two large moons, one a dark red, the other a light orange. The sky was also decorated with the dancing of an Aura Borealis, stretching for miles to the twin mountains in the distance.

"Considering the fact that snow in Florida I about as likely as as Zombies suddenly attacking...I'm not in Bradburn County anymore." Nicholas said as he gazed around the new world in awe, shivering and cold and very much lost.

This was but the first step. The first step in a long journey, filled with tragedy, joy, love, loss, friendship, betrayal…

And Dragons, naturally.

Because he was in the land of Skyrim.


	2. Finding One's Bearings

**Scattered By Destiny**

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**Chapter 2: Finding One's Bearings**

**By: JC785 &amp; FlygonNick**

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"How…How did I get in Skyrim?" Nicholas wondered as he stood at the top of the staircase, eyeing the icy landscape with both awe and apprehension. It had a raw sort of beauty in it, though this moment didn't last long before he realized again he was in a snowy plain with just his marching band outfit on.

"Freaking hell…I'm here…I'm really here…" Nicholas murmured as he stumbled down the snowy hill. He lost balance, and with a yelp, crashed into the snow. He got to his feet, shivering now and wondering what he could do as he brushed the snow off of himself.

He had to get to society, find one of the cities. If he could get there, and maybe find a Jarl or a wizard, the maybe they could help him get home...

Home…

Nicholas sighed deeply, wondering how anyone would help him get home...and if he would ever get home. The thought made him shiver a little more, but then he noticed something off to the side, where some of the snow parted in what looked like a path.

"A path...Alright…let's see where this goes. I may as well get moving," Nicholas muttered as he began to make his way down the faint path, stumbling up the snowy landscape and getting colder and colder as the sun began to go down. He had to stay calm and survive, though. He had to stay calm, cool, and collected…

But why, he thought…Why did that dragon attack? "_It was the same dragon that attacked you in the beginning of the game at Helgan…yeah, it was._" Nicholas thought to himself. It was the very same creature that had attacked him and his friends at the football game and sent them to Skyrim…

Why though…Why him? Why Skyrim…so many questions, and yet no answers came to him. The worst part of it was…

He was all alone.

With that thought in his mind, he continued his trek through the snowy wilderness, unarmed and cold and very much vulnerable. He brushed his hand against a fallen long, the rough bark rubbing against his hand, and looked up at the sky, eyeing the swirling colors of the Skyrim night sky with a small smile. Despite how cold and harsh the land was…it was beautiful. Wild and free, untainted by pollution or modern machinery. It had an incredible raw and untamable beauty that was indescribable.

"Amazing...if only the rest of my world were like this." Nicholas said to himself. Eventually, he came to a rock passage. He noticed a series of rather odd brown and yellow markings on the rocks. It looked more primitive than the natural wilderness that surrounded him, and seemed eerily familiar to him.

"Maybe there's someone around here.." Nicholas mumbled to himself as he walked around the bend. When he turned, he suddenly felt tiny. In front of him was a giant roaring fire pit that was 4 times his size. The fire that was raging from it burned up into the sky, the embers floating up and disappearing from view. There were also more markings on the rocks like the ones he saw at the entrance.

"Ok….this is a bit weird." Nicholas said to himself again, the eerie feeling growing. He was stopped in his tracks though when he heard a rumbling sound. It wasn't the one like back at the stadium, but more like a low bass groaning. Curiosity took over Nicholas's legs, and he walked around the fire to find the source.

When he made it around, he finally found the source, and stopped dead in his tracks. Right in front of him, was a giant. The giant was laying down on its back asleep, its grey scarred chest slowly rising up and down with every sleeping breath. The limbs on his body were longer than his actual torso, and right by his side was a giant club made of aging bone. Nicholas had only encountered a giant once when he played the game, and the experienced was short-lived when he was knocked up into the sky by the bone club and died before he hit the ground.

He was not looking to experience that now.

Nicholas started taking slow steps back, but he tripped on a large branch and started to fall backwards. He caught onto something, trying to stop the fall, but it didn't work as both him and the object came tumbling down. Nicholas was then covered with a weird smelling yellow substance. The noise had woken up the lumbering giant, and he sat up, looking at the scene before him. The creatures face then contorted in anger, as he got up quickly and raised the club.

Nicholas quickly scrambled up and jumped out of the way before the club smashed on the ground. Fire logs started flying as the club had hit the edge of the fire pit. A few of the logs hit the giant, angering it even more and causing to roar in fury. Nicholas looked up at the giant in horror, his body was frozen with fear at this point. The giant charged forward, and Nicholas covered his head and closed his eyes, not wanting to witness his own death.

But it never came.

Right before the giant reached Nicholas, an arrow came out from nowhere and struck the giant in the eye. The giant let out a roar and stumbled back as blood streamed from its mangled eyeball. Nicholas opened his eyes and looked up at the rock wall right behind him, only to see a woman with bow and arrow in hand.

The woman on the ledge was dressed in leather and metal, and equipped with a simple looking bow and arrow. She had ginger hair that rolled behind her shoulders, leaving her face to be seen with the war marks she had. She stood with absolute confidence and had a proud and confidence gleam in her eye as she notched another arrow. As she took aim at the giant once more, two more figures jumped forward and landed on the ground in front of Nicolas. The two warriors charged forward with a battle cries as the giant readied itself to attack the two newcomers.

One of the warriors had on heavy looking armor and attacked with a giant sword that required both of his hands to hold. He swung the sword at the giants legs, making deep slashes in the legs. The giant stumbled a bit and tried to attack, but the two handed warrior jumped back before the club hit the ground.

The second warrior of the scene wore heavy looking armor like the first, but his armor looked more smooth in some areas, and Nicholas could've sworn he saw what looked like a wolf head on the chest piece. The wolf warrior had a two handed weapon like the first, and did the same as well, slashing at the legs and jumping back.

The arrow warrior continued to fire arrows from above as the two warriors on the ground continued to fight with the two handed swords. Eventually, the giant fell to its knee and looked on the brink of death. The arrow warrior on the cliff charged forward and drew a knife from her waist. She gave a warriors cry as she leaped and landed on the giants shoulder, plunging the knife into the giant's skull. The giant let out a final roar before it fell forward with its last moment and landed on the ground with a thud.

The arrow warrior jumped off the dead giant and onto the ground. She let out a victory cry, at least thats what it sounded like, and the two other warriors followed suit with their own. Nicholas still just sat there and looked at them, with confusion, fear, and a small twinge of respect.

"Uh...hello?" Nicholas tried saying to them. IT was then that all 3 of the warriors turned to look at him. He closed his mouth then and shrunk down a bit. The female warrior then walked forward and knelt down by Nicholas's side.

"Hvé gera yðarr kenna." The female warrior said in the most gibberish-sounding language that Nicholas had ever heard. It sounded like a mixture of Viking and something else, but then again what the hell did he knew about languages. Jack shit, that's what.

"...What?" Nicholas asked in confusion.

Now it was the female warriors' turn to look confused beyond all belief. She turned back and spoke to the other warriors in whatever language she was speaking. It almost sounded like they were arguing at one point, until the female warrior turned back around and held her hand out towards Nicholas.

He was hesitant at first, but then accepted her hand and she pulled him to his feet. The two warriors smirked at Nicholas, most likely because of all the yellow gunk on him. The two then turned around and walked away, sheathing their weapons, with the female warrior sticking back to walk with Nicholas. Together, they walked out of the rock formation and walked towards a giant castle far-off in the distance. Towards civilization and warmth...

And hopefully some answers.

...


	3. Enter Whiterun

**Scattered By Destiny**

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AN:

_FlygonNick: What's up guys? FlygonNick and JC785 here, bringing you another chapter of SBD. We know the story is starting off a bit slow, but trust us, the story will pick up once we establish the connections and all that good stuff. Great stories don't begin as masterpieces, they grow and evolve into one._

_AN's (Author Notes if you're new here), will be a regular thing from here on in. Why? Because I said so. That's why! And so you guys can get to know this jackass a bit better._

_Shoutout to Google Docs because we pretty much write the chapters together using it. Super helpful stuff._

_Oh yeah, and if you're wondering about my inactivity, don't worry. I'll be posting updates soon, with Jak IV happening tonight and Apocalypse: Dawn of the Dead's Epilogue later this week or early next week. Things have been really rough lately, and I want to thank you guys for being so patient with me._

_JC785: Now enough of that malarkey, onto the important stuff! XD I want to thank the reviewers so far: CarriedCoin, Justsomeperson7734, and Cain (FlygonNick, don't bitch at me cause I didn't give you a shoutout, you've been helping me write this XD )_

_FlygonNick: Whatever. I'll review this story as much as you did Apocalypse, Joe._

_JC785: Yeah yeah I get ya lol_

_FlygonNick: Anyway, thanks for supporting Joe and me in this story, and I hope you guys come to enjoy it! But enough faffing about!_

_FlygonNick and JC785: Enjoy the chapter!_

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**Chapter 3: Entering Whiterun**

**By: JC785 &amp; FlygonNick**

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Nicholas's feet were about to cut themselves off from the rest of his body in protest as he and the other warriors, who he assumed was probably the Companions, made their way to the massive door that led into Whiterun.

He had played through enough of the game, maybe an hour or two, to know that the Companions were an order of warriors who lived in Whiterun. They fought for pride and honor, and were highly respected. He smiled weakly at the idea of having gained the attention of such renowned warriors.

Part of him was equally exhausted but also curious as to how close to the game this world was. He had so many questions burning in his mind, but he pushed them away. There would be a time for questions later. The group of four approached the massive door and were met by two of the Whiterun guards.

"Hmm...Back when I first started this game, I killed about eight of these guys before getting murdered...I think at this point, I'd probably be able to mildly annoy him before getting stabbed in the throat." Nicholas mused as the woman stepped forward and began speaking to the guards.

"Hmmm. I wonder…" Nicholas muttered, smiling a bit as the guards nodded and yelled out something that sounded like gibberish. A moment later, the doors groaned open, and the woman looked by at Nicholas and made a gesture as if to say "come on", and so after a moment, he did.

The town was quiet, which made sense due to it being very early in the morning. The Whiterun Guards looked at Nicholas strangely, eyeing his strange uniform, and after a moment Nicholas yelled "What are you looking at, asshole!?"

The Guard shook his head and muttered something under his breath, but Nicholas simply said "That's what I thought, bitch."

"I can say whatever I want to them, and they won't understand a word of it." Nicholas said as they began to make their way through the town. The woman leaned down and muttered something in Nicholas's ear, but he shook his head, signalling that he couldn't understand her.

It was a shame, upon reflection, that he couldn't understand the people here. The world was so fascinating and different from what he was used to. While the world of Tamriel slept on, Nicholas was wandering a world that shouldn't have existed. Knowledge about his environment was crucial to survival, especially in this wild world/

As they arrived in the marketplace, the woman pointed towards the tower that stood above the city, Dragonsreach, Nicholas remembered it being called. The woman began speaking to the other two men, with the one if Wolf Armor nodding while the other simply watched on. The woman then turned to Nicholas for a moment, as if trying to figure out what to do with him, before she turned to the others and muttered something to them.

Both men nodded, and began to make their way towards the tower, going up a flight of stairs that made Nicholas's feet scream in agony. When they reached the top, they crossed a small bridge towards the castle doors. Both men went to each door and started pushing them open.

The gigantic wooden doors opened slowly as Nicholas looked in awe as the male warriors pushed it open. The female warrior stood by Nicholas's side and chuckled a bit at his expression. When the doors were open enough for a group to walk through, the female Companion walked through with Nicholas trailing behind and the two male Companions following behind.

The inside of Dragonsreach looked the same as it had in the game, but everything looked more defined. In a way, more Norse than it was in the game. The entry way he was in was decorated with 4 benches, two on each side, with two women, one on each side, in green, red, and blue dresses. The both held brooms and swept their respective areas. Nicholas and

companions walked up the stairs to find a more cultured area of the castle. Two long mead tables went along a large fire pit in the middle of the room. The two tables were decorated with a variety of foods, from bread, ham, turkey, wine, and fruits. The last time Nicholas had food was at the football game, and the football food wasn't all the appetizing. The female and one of the male Companions sat down at the table as the other one walked towards the back of the room and went up the steps of stairs.

Nicholas walked forward slowly and sat down at the table with caution as the other Companions started eating. To say that manners weren't used by them would be an understatement. They tore into the food and ate what was on their plates, not seeming to care if some pieces of food went flying. Nicholas leaned back a bit, honestly a little frightened of their eating method. The female Companion saw this and said something to the other one, and then they started eat slower and a bit more carefully. After that, Nicholas relaxed some and grabbed some of the fruit and turkey off the table and dug in, savoring the freshness of the food and exoticness of it.

Nicholas and the companion spent the next while eating and relaxing some. For Nicholas, he craned his neck around the room, taking in the cultural beauty. Large columns held up the balconies above him, and bookshelves were along the wall. There was a room off to his right that had some tables on it, with some strange looking purple crystals. The room on his left was easily recognizable as a kitchen however, with meat hanging from hooks, and some plants with fruits on them.

After a few more minutes, the sound of a door opening in the distance sounded and Nicholas picked his head up. The Companion in wolf armor came walking back down the stairs with two guards behind him. Behind the guards came a tall man who had long blonde hair in thick braids that went down to his chest. He wore a gold crown that was encrusted with two blue gems, and a big ruby one in the center. He wore clothes that definitely made him look like royalty, along with fur boots. The man had a few wrinkles on his face,but still showed signs of youth.

"_This must be the Jarl. What was his name again?_" Nicholas thought to himself as the female Companion spoke to the Jarl. At one point, the Jarl said something to one of the guards, and the guard went to the room to the right of the throne. The guard came back with a man in a purple robe and hood. The Jarl started talking to the man in the cloak for a moment.

The man in the cloak then turned to Nicholas, eyeing him critically. He then gestured to the Jarl and muttered something before he held out his hand, which began to glow bright white. He then held out his hand to Nicholas.

"Do you want me to take your hand?" Nicholas asked the wizard, who nodded encouragingly. Nicholas shivered for a moment, aware he was about to subject himself to the wizard's spell, and reached for the man's hand, grabbing it.

Nicholas let out a gasp as a shock ran through him, sending pain and coldness through his body. He closed his eyes tightly, but he then felt a horrible gnawing feeling in his mind...

"_Hello? Can you hear me?_" A voice, accented by clearly english, spoke in his mind. Nicholas blinked in surprise and said aloud, "Yeah, perfectly."

"_Speak in your mind, young man, and I can hear you._" The man said with amusement.

"_Got it. I'm in Whiterun, right?_" Nicholas asked the man in his mind.

"_Correct. It seems you know a little about our world. If you don't mind, could you tell me your name?_" The man said.

"_You can call me Nicholas._" The teen said to the wizard.

"_My name is Farengar Secret-Fire, the Jarl's Wizard._" The wizard replied.

"_Nice to meet you. So, you wouldn't happen to be able to tell me what the hell is going on, would you?_" The teen asked the wizard.

"_Aela, Skjor, and Farkas are trying to figure that out themselves. They came to us because of the mystery surrounding your unusual appearance and arrival in Skyrim. We we're trying to decipher their story, but now that we can establish a line of communication between you and us, we can now ask you how you got here._" Farengar said to Nicholas.

"_Where do I start?_" Nicholas asked.

"_From the beginning._" The wizard replied, a small smile on his face.

"_OK...Um, well first off, I'm not from this world._" Nicholas said.

"_I assumed that much. Aela reports that a white rift opened in the sky above Volunruud. Then a bright blue light shot towards the ruin while the 3 other differently colored lights shot off in different directions throughout Skyrim._" Farengar said to Nicholas.

"_I wonder if that was my friends...I don't remember all that happening, though.._" Nicholas said quietly.

"_What do you remember?_" Farengar asked.

Nicholas started slowly, describing his hometown and his world, and telling how he and his friends and classmates were attacked by a massive jet-black dragon during a football game. He went into detail about how the dragon looked, sounded like, and what it did at Farengar's urging. He seemed to become excited when he heard about the creature,

"_Dragons...Incredible….It would explain why it sent you here. But how and why? So many questions, so little answers…_" Farengar murmured. The wizard then turned to the others and began to relay the information back to the others. Farengar introduced each of the Nords to Nicholas, as well as the Dunmar spellsword Irileth, and the Jarl's Steward, Proventus Avenicci.

The Jarl, Balgruuf the Greater, regarded Nichas with a small smile and said something to Farengar, who nodded.

"_Jarl Balgruuf says that what you have told us is troubling. However, he wishes for me to reach within your mind and scan your memories to discern the truth behind your tale, and to see if you mean him and the people of Whiterun any harm._" Farengar said to Nicholas, who frowned.

"_Do you really have to?_" Nicholas asked the wizard.

"_If you wish to receive some level of assistance from us, and trust me, we do believe this warrants aid, and that we must be sure of the validity of your tale. But we need to make sure we can trust you, and this is the accurate method of doing this._"

"_How can I trust you guys?_" Nicholas asked the wizard.

"_Honestly...You can't. But have some faith, young man. If you were really meant to die or be harmed, you would have already. You were sent here and found for a reason...Its your choice to find out if we will learn that reason._" Farengar said quietly.

Nicholas closed his eyes, deep in thought. He had read again and again in books that letting someone into your mind was dangerous. It was a very deep level of intrusion, as the mind was one of the few sanctuaries that couldn't be defiled…

And now this wizard, someone he had just met, was asking him to surrender himself to his probing. But as he opened his mouth to reject his offer, he realized just how perilless his position was. This was the only man in Skyrim who could understand him, save for his friends, wherever they were. He needed shelter, food, and a way to stay safe in this hostile land. At least until he could learn more…

"_Alright...Do it._" Nicholas said slowly to the wizard, who smiled wryly.

"_Close your eyes. This may hurt a little._" the wizard said as he began the process.


	4. Communication at Last

**Scattered By Destiny**

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AN:

_Hey guys, this is FlygonNick and JC785, bring you another chapter of SBD._

_FlygonNick: Just a heads up, other characters will be appearing down the road for this story. It centers around Nicholas, Joe, Jess, and John, but who's to say more can't show up down the line?_

_JC785: Heres a quick note for this chapter on dialog._

Normal writing is just regular talking,

_Italicized writing will be thoughts or dialog with thoughts._

_FlygonNick: Anyway, please just bear with us, it'll be a bit before you see some familiar faces. JC785 wanted Nicholas (me) to be the main character for some reason,so...here we are. We're still setting up the story, which will be a long one, so just hang in there guys. Next chapter will have a bit of action in it for sure, as well as some more development for what is to come._

_JC785: Shoutout to the reviewers from last chapter, Angelic Ink, Dunka99, and inventor2967. _

_FlygonNick &amp; JC785: Enjoy the chapter!_

* * *

**Chapter 4: Communication at Last**

**By: JC785 &amp; FlygonNick**

* * *

Nicholas fell to his knees, shaking and dripping in sweat as Farengar removed his hand his from his head. The other Nords had watched the process with interest, and were surprised at Nicholas's reaction to it.

He knew it may have been a sign of weakness or whatever, but he felt sick. He felt violated and just wrong, having someone else messing around in his mind. On top of all that, he felt really weak, like all the energy was gone from him.

"What...happened…" He asked weakly as he fought to remain standing, his voice shaking. He started to slump forward, but Farengar kneeled down in front of him to catch him. Before Nicholas passed out, he could hear Farengar speak.

"Rest young one, we will discuss more soon."

…

Nicholas opened his eyes slowly as he let out a yawn. Memories of what happened before he passed out slowly came back to him.

A massive jet-black dragon attacking his school-

A white vortex sucking them into the sky-

Arriving in a desolate tomb-

Snow everywhere, the Giants attacking him, only for the Companions to save him-

Horrible pain...His head seared in agony-

"Enough," Nicholas said wearily, throwing off his blanket. He was dressed in his black band t-shirt and a pair of black shorts (perfect for marching and moving around in under the bulky uniform), his shoes resting on the ground. He put them on, forgoing his uniform for now, and opened the door, where he found a Whiterun Guard staring at him.

"Uh...Hi?" Nicholas said with a nervous laugh. The guard, however, nodded and gestured for Nicholas to walk towards the large door to the left. Nicholas shrugged and said "Alright, let's go then."

The two made their way to the main hall in silence. Once they approached, Nicholas saw Jarl Balgruuf and Farengar at the throne. Farengar turned his head when he heard Nicholas approaching.

"_Ah, there you are young one._" Nicholas heard Farengar speak in his mind.

"_You can talk through my mind without touching me now?_" Nicholas thought.

"_Yes. Last night when I scanned your memories, I came across your language dialect. I cannot speak it at this time, but I am able to speak through the mind._" the wizard replied with a small laugh in his 'voice'.

"_Yeah, about that whole mind scanning thing, how much did you see?_" Nicholas's expression turned a bit downwards.

"_I was able to view the memories of your dragon encounter and arriving here. Everything else except your language I left untouched._"

"_Ok...thanks._" Nicholas smiled at the court wizard, to which Farengar smiled back in an understanding kind of way.

"_You are welcome, Nicholas. Now come with me, I have something for you._" Farengar and Jarl Balgruuf both walked to his lab, with Nicholas trailing behind them. Farengar went behind hi table and pulls out a book.

"_We are ready to begin._" Farengar said as he held out his other hand. A small ball of golden light formed in his hands, pulsating slightly for a moment before becoming a perfect calm sphere.

"_What is that?_" Nicholas asked the wizard, who smirked.

"_This is the results of my experimentation last night. I have devised an alteration spell that will allow you to speak the language spoken in Skyrim. The exact description of what this spell can do is lengthy, so I'll spare you the details. In short, it will allow you to speak our language as fluently as you speak 'English'._" Farengar explained.

"_Alright, well...I guess we can get on with it._" Nicholas said with a small sigh, preparing himself for another dose of magic. Farengar turned his head as Balgruuf asked him something, only for Farengar to shake his head in response.

"_OK, Nicholas...Let us begin._" Farengar said as he regarded the ball of light in his hand and pressed it against Nicholas's forehead. The teen let out a sudden yell of agony as golden energy surged through his body, but the pain was gone just as quickly as it came, though it still left Nicholas's with a headache.

"It will soon pass." Farengar said to him, his words making perfect sense now.

"Wait, so I can understand you all fine now?" Nicholas asked the wizard in disbelief, surprised that this huge problem was solved so quickly.

"It would seem so, young man." Balgruuf said with a small laugh, walking forward.

"Fascinating...So now he can speak this tongue like his old one," Aela said quietly, with Vilkas and Skjor and Farkas nodding in agreement.

"Now that you are able to communicate with us, I think it would be appropriate to introduce myself. I am Balgruuf the Greater, Jarl of Whiterun hold." The older man said with a friendly smile.

"Its an honor to meet you, sir. My name is Nicholas, um...resident of Bradburn Country," Nicholas said awkwardly, before just skipping the introduction. "Thank you for letting me stay here for the night." Nicholas said, bowing to the man.

"Ah, it was no trouble. Besides, once you told Farengar of dragons, it was hard for us not to let you spend the night here." The Jarl chuckled to himself.

"Yes, I have always been fascinated with dragons, or rather the legends of dragons, ever since I was a boy. I cannot tell you how exciting it is to hear of them possibly coming back." The wizard said with excitement in his voice.

"Hey, I'm a fan of dragons as much as the next guy, but the one who attacked my school wasn't friendly by a long shot." Nicholas said to the wizard.

"Of course. Dragons are vicious and not to be trifled with. You're a fool to-" Irileth said in an annoyed tone, only for the Jarl to cut her off.

"We are getting sidetracked here, by this talk of dragons. The skies have been clear and there has been no word from the other holds regarding dragons either...I think the one that sent you here has either left Skyrim...Or is biding its time." Balgruuf said to the group before him. It was an unsettling thought, that was for sure. A massive fire-breathing creature that could tear apart an army was lying in wait….

"So...what now?" Nicholas asked the Jarl.

"Well, your arrival was certainly an unnatural event, one that has not been seen before. The magic that sent you here was not the sort that mortal men are capable of. Only a creature as power as a dragon could have performed such a feat...And Farengar's probing of your mind proves that you were telling the truth." The Jarl closed his eyes, deep in thought.

"We will have to increase recruitment for the guards. Make them train harder and increase their vigilance. We have to be ready for this dragon, whenever it may come." Balgruuf said to the group.

"I can continue scrying for any clues as to this appearance of this mystery dragon." Farengar said as he started flipping through his books and calling a guard over.

"What about me?" Nicholas asked the Jarl.

"You are more than welcome to stay within Dragonsreach, at least until we are able to find something you can do. "You are also our only link to this dragon, so it would be wise to have you closeby until we can determine what is going on here." Balgruuf said, earning a nod from the teen.

"Now please. Tell me more about your world. I am curious about you and your story, young traveler." The Jarl said as he leaned back in his chair, resting his hand on his chin in a passive manner.

"I don't even know where to begin," Nicholas admitted, smiling wryly.

"What is your world like? Where are you from? What is your village, or hometown, like? What about your family? Your friends? Tell me all you can, so that we may know more about who we are helping."

"This may take a while," Nicholas said to the Jarl.

"There is time enough for this young man to recount his tale. Afterwards though, we must review the weapon's supply for the next month, sir." Proventus said with a small smile.

"Alright...Well, I was born in a er, land, called Florida. Its at the bottom of the continent I lived on, which is called the United States of America. My family was a bit..dysfunctional. Rather hard to get along with my parents at times, and by brother is an annoying little asshole. That said, they're my family and I love them, you know?" Balgruuf nodded understandingly, as if he knew exactly what he was talking about, "My friends though, I consider them family in a way too."

"How do you mean young one?" The Jarl asked.

"I can always talk to them about anything, and they'll have my back. I can tell them anything and they're always there for me."

"Can you describe them to us? Jarl Balgruuf might be able to get a message to the other holds, asking to look out for people that fit the description." Farengar asked.

"Sure thing. Ok, lets see. First, there's Joseph. He a really tall guy, taller than even you sir." Nicholas said motioning to the Jarl. "He's got short brown hair, bluish-green eyes, and he can be a bit of a quiet guy at first, but when you get to know him he's pretty cool. Bit of a smartass who sometimes says the wrong thing at the wrong time, but he's as trustworthy as they come." Nicholas said to the Jarl.

"Next, there's John. He might just be one of the first ones you find, simply because he'll be screaming at the goddamn mountains." Nicholas chuckled to himself on that one. "He's as tall as me, dirty blonde hair, and will probably be sticking his nose in every conversation he can find."

"Lastly, there's Jess. Now she's about half a head shorter than me, has long brown hair, and can be a bit...silly and hyper, at times. Its one of her best traits though." Nicholas laughed for a moment before realizing something. "Knowing her, she has no idea we're in the land of Tamriel...she's either hiding or just trying to survive at this point.." The whole time Nicholas was speaking, Farengar was writing down the description of Nicholas's friends.

"Alright then. I'll bring forward some couriers and have the descriptions sent to the other 8 holds. It's most likely best that we keep this under wraps, no one but the other Jarls and guards should know what's happening." Jarl Balgruuf said, to which everyone else in the room nodded.

"Now, please...continue." Balgruuf prompted, and Nicholas launched into his story once more.

But as Nicholas began to finish his story, his thoughts turned to home. His parents, his brothers, his family…

And then they turned to his friends. Lost in this strange and unique world, just like him. Unable to speak to the people in this land, where hostile animals and people roamed everywhere. He had gotten lucky and found people to take him in and give him shelter and assistance, and now they were preparing for what was to come...Whatever it was.

Where were they now?

"_I just hope you guys are alright...For better or worse, we're in this together...I'll find you, no matter what._" Nicholas promised himself as his thoughts turned to whatever the future held in store for him...


	5. Where From Here?

**Scattered By Destiny**

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_AN: _

_FlygonNick: Also, for references sake, at this moment Nicholas is in Skyrim roughly five years before the events in the game take place. Hence why Aela is much weaker in this story, she's only been in the group for a short time and hasn't been introduced to the Circle yet. We figured Aela joined the Companions right when she became an adult and was old enough for her Trial (according to a quote in-game), and had been with the group for at least two years after that as of now . _

_It'd take a while for her to get into the Group's inner circle (pardon the pun), especially with how close the Circle is and how closely guarded their secret is._

_JC785: Just a little side note guys, I'm sorry it's taken so long to get these chapters out. I've had a break from college classes for a while, so I've had more free time. This coming semester though, I'll try to make sure I can get the chapters out faster than in the past._

_Also, shoutout to roid, the only one to review the last chapter. Eh, lets hope for an increase on this one! _

_JC785 &amp; FlygonNick: Enjoy the Chapter!_

* * *

**Chapter 5: Where From Here?**

**By JC785 and FlygonNick**

* * *

Two Days Later:

Nicholas sighed as the Jarl spoke to Olfrid Battle-Born, concerning something with the city's defenses and warriors. He sat at one of the long dining tables, quietly nibbling on a small plate of fruit that was in front of him. After he had finished his story, Jarl Balgruuf called up some important looking people, mostly warriors. Among them was Olfrid Battle-Born, Proventus Avenicci, Eorlund Gray-Mane, Irileth, and a man that Nicholas had not been introduced too yet.

"Enjoying yourself?" Nicholas looked up quickly to see Farengar looking at him warily, causing Nicholas to sigh again. He knew he did that a lot, but it was habit for him. He did that a lot in his own world too, from either boredom or frustration, he sighed quite a bit.

"I'm just...Frustrated. I don't know what I'm going to do. I can't just stay here forever, but don't know anything about this world, except for a few very vague concepts. Hell, I wouldn't even be able to speak the language if it wasn't for your magic." Nicholas muttered.

"Hmm, I suppose that would be frustrating. You have no connections to your world or your friends. You're on your own now, and have no idea where and how to proceed." Farengar said after a moment, his tone amused. He then sat down in a chair next to Nicholas and laughed slightly.

"What's so funny?" Nicholas asked, somewhat annoyed.

"I mean no disrespect, but I think you may benefit from some meditation. Your mind is clouded with worries, and it will make you lose focus. That won't do."

"Are you saying you wouldn't be frustrated if you were in my shoes?" Nicholas asked the wizard, who nodded with a smile.

"Of course. I'd do whatever I could to advance myself. Knowledge is the key, after all." Farengar said to Nicholas, who smiled despite himself.

"Memory is the key, actually. Delta said so," Nicholas said to the wizard, earning an odd look in reply.

"Its an inside joke, don't worry about it." Nicholas said as his smile faded. Worry began to plague him again, and he found himself talking to Farengar again about what he could do.

"Farengar...Where do I go? What do I do...I can't stay here forever. I've got to find my friends, but I can't do it on my own...Not in a world I don't even understand…monsters and warriors and magic, they're just not something I know in my world." Nicholas murmured.

"Hmm, speaking of magic, I sense that you too can access the magic within your own body. With some instruction and teaching, you could become a competent magician." Farengar said to Nicholas, who gaped at the wizard in dumbfounded amazement.

"I can use magic? How, I'm not even from this world!?" Nicholas asked Farengar, earning several looks from the others in the room at the outburst.

"Come. We can speak in private." the wizard said after a moment, gesturing for Nicholas to follow him.

Farengar walked to his lab, where he sat in his chair. Nicholas stood in front of him, looking at him for a moment, before Farengar pulled out a large book. It had a blackish grey cover with a red flame-like symbol on the front.

"This is a Spell Tome, for one of the most basic spells a person can learn. It requires little skill, though learning one's first spell is never easy. It is, however, the most satisfying one." Farengar said, passing the book to Nicholas.

"You think I can learn how to do this?" Nicholas asked the wizard, who shrugged.

"As you are now? Probably not. But perhaps with time, yes. The spell I gave you allows you to also read our language, so this shouldn't be too difficult for someone like you to do," Farengar said to Nicholas, his tone somewhat condescending.

"Magic is not like learning how to use a bow or sword. It takes study and practice, but also a keen mind. It requires absolute focus, and a great deal of inner strength. One misplaced spell can destroy you. One misplaced gesture or word can wreak untold havoc. It is not something one undertakes lightly."

"If it'll bring me closer to finding my friends and getting home, I'll do whatever I need to. Besides, I'd rather be able to defend myself if I need to." Nicholas said as he flipped open the book. It began with an introduction into the art of spellcasting and magic in general.

"It may take some time before you are able to even produce a flame at all. This spell allows you to call forth flames from your hands and direct them with your hands. Its one of the most common spells used by those who practice the arcane arts." After a few minutes, Nicholas closed the book as Farengar said "You may keep that, if you'd like. Free of charge."

"Why is it free?" Nicholas asked suspiciously.

"Because now I have a chance to investigate the dragons of old more closely. Jarl Balgruuf wants us to be prepared for this dragon, whenever it may return, and has in turn has provided me with a bit more funding to investigate the issue. And that, my young friend, is worth the price of a spellbook and some wise words of wisdom." Farengar said with a smug grin.

"Glad I can help...I guess." Nicholas said as he scratched the back of his head.

Nicholas tucked the book under his arm and walked back out into the grand hall after thanking Farengar. During that time, the meeting with the Jarl had disbanded, with Eorlund and Olfrid walking out of the hall, keeping a distance from each other though. Proventus was back at Jarl Balgruuf's side, with a list in his hands. When Balgruuf saw Nicholas, he got up and went to him.

"I see Farengar has given you a spell book. He doesn't normally do that, only for people who have done him a great favor." Jarl Balgruuf said as he looked at Farengar working at a black table with bottles and tubes on it.

"Well I guess helping discover that dragons exist again is one of those big things." Nicholas said with a mix of amusement and sarcasm.

"Indeed it is young one." The Jarl said, not picking up on the sarcasm part. "Did you know that this castle was originally built to capture dragons?"

"Wait, what?!" Nicholas replied with shock.

"Indeed. In the days of old, Dragonsreach was not as big as it is now. Behind the castle is a stone emplacement, which in whole, was used to capture the dragon, Numinex. When Olaf One-Eye, who was once a Jarl of Whiterun like me, defeated Numinex at the top of Mount Anthor, he captured the dragon in the stone encampment, and left the dragon there till the day it died. Numinex's head is the one that hangs above my throne to this day."

"Woah.." Nicholas whispered.

"It is amazing, isn't it young one?" Balgruuf smiled at Nicholas's amazed and shocked expression. "Olaf eventually rose to become the High King of Skyrim in the First Era. Unfortunately, throughout the Era's, his story has become twisted and tainted, making people believe that he was a tyrannical ruler. But, that is a story for another day." The Jarl said. Both of them walked back to his throne, where he sat down in it and looked at Nicholas once more. "You know, you are allowed to leave the castle if you wish too."

"Wait, really?" Nicholas said, a bit surprised this time.

"Of course, it wouldn't be right to keep you caged up in here. I only ask that you do not leave the city walls, not for a time at least. Others cannot know where you come from, or what brought you here. For now, just say you are a passing traveler." Jarl Balgruuf instructed.

"Alright, I can do that." Nicholas replied with a smile. It would be good to go out and see the town, and even have a bit of alone time.

"Then you are free to leave Nicholas." Jarl Balgruuf said.

"Thank you sir." Nicholas gave a small bow and turned to walk to the gigantic doors. When he approached, two guards that were standing next to each door went and pushed it open for him. Nicholas thanked the guards and walked outside.

This was the first time since Nicholas arrived that he had a landscape view of his surroundings. The town lay out below him, with smoke coming from some of the chimneys. He could see the market from his view, people going and buying herbs, meats, and vegetables. Outside the walls, a giant mountain rose above him, so high that the peak of the mountain touched the clouds. Nicholas looked at it all in amazement as he walked down the steps. But soon, his mind returned to the thoughts that troubled him before.

"Ugh! What the hell am I supposed to do!? I don't know anyone or anything here. I don't know how this place works, aside from some vague knowledge of the game, which I played only a part of...What the hell do I do…" Nicholas murmured, shaking his head. He continued to make his way down the steps to Dragonsreach and made his way into town. He was wearing a spare outfit that the Jarl had given him, a green tunic and a pair of pants with a pair of fine fur boots. The Jarl had also given him an iron dagger as well, just in case of an emergency, though he warned if I got into trouble in the town, even he couldn't overlook a crime that an outsider like he commits on the people of Whiterun.

Nicholas stopped in front of a large dead-looking tree in the square, that was earning a few sad looks from the other townsfolk, looking around for something to do other than just walk around. He didn't understand how the people here could withstand how cold it was outside! He was wearing his band outfit underneath the outfit the Jarl gave him, and it was still cold as hell to him!

_Cling! Cling! Cling!_

Nicholas looked up at the sound of metal meeting metal, and glanced to his left, here he saw a large one story building at the top of a series of stone steps. Nicholas turned around, spotting a guard walking by, and walked over to him.

"Excuse me, sir," Nicholas said to the guard, getting his attention. "What's that building there?"

"Ah. That's Jorrvaskr. Home of the Companions. Sounds like they're having a spar up there," the guard said with a small laugh, his accent rather light.

"Really...Hmm…" Nicholas said to himself. He thanked the guard and made his way up the stairs, ignoring the priest shouting at him about someone named Talos.

Nicholas walked up to the front doors of the building, again marvelling at the differences in how the building was different than those in his own world. It looked so much different in person, too. He then spotted a side path that seemed to lead to another part of the area.

Feeling curious, Nicholas followed the path, and a few moments later he found himself watching an epic showdown between two warriors armed to the teeth and ready to tear each other apart.

One of them was the woman who had escorted him to Whiterun, Aela. The other was man in his mid-twenties with blondish brown hair wearing white armor, much like Skjor did when Nicholas first met him.

"Feeling the burn yet, Aela?" the man laughed at the woman, who didn't reply. Instead she rushed at the man and began trading a series of swift blows with him, forcing him several steps back, only to jump back as he retaliated with a deadly slash of his own.

"Come on, Vilkas!" Farkas barked at the man for the crowd. Vilkas glanced at his brother, smiling at him, and nodded. Vilkas seemed to only have a few cuts on his armor, while Aela looked rather banged up, holding her shield rather stiffly, but gritted her teeth as the man charged at her. Aela brought up her shield to block the slash, but the man slammed his shield violently into her's and sent her stumbling backwards, giving him a chance to rush her.

Aela regained her footing in time for Vilkas to slash at her midsection. Aela jumped back to dodge, but she earned a large cut on her stomach anyway despite her speed.

"They're awesome…" Nicholas murmured, a grin on his face.

Aela landed on the ground with a yell of pain, but got to her feet as Vilkas advanced towards her. She let out a growl and rushed at the warrior, who blocked her slash with his sword and locked blades with her.

"Excellent! Don't ever back down!" Vilkas growled as he pushed the woman away, only for her to flip the knife in her grasp and hurl it at Vilkas, who yelled out in pain as the knife sank into his shoulder.

"Damn." Nicholas said quietly, smiling at the young woman's move. Aela rushed at Vilkas, who barely brought up his sword in time to block the move. The two broke apart, only for Aela to rush in and lash out with a kick that was strong enough to knock Vilkas's shield out of his hands, sending it flying far out of his reach.

"Not bad, whelp," Vilkas said with a smirk as he took a step back.

Aela knew that despite this slight upper hand, she was still at a disadvantage. Vilka had scored many blows against her, and she was tiring. All it would take is for Vilkas to get one strong hit in, and it could be all over for her. She then heard a familiar voice yell to her from the side, drawing everyone's attention.

"Kick his ass, Aela!" Nicholas yelled at the young woman, who glanced at the teen cheering her on. Vilkas ran at her, and she felt a small surge of confidence she hadn't felt before. If this brave yet strange young man thought she could win, then who was she to think that she couldn't?

Vilkas wasted no more time, rushing towards Aela with a growl, but the young woman simply grinned wolfishly and ducked under Vilkas's arm as he slashed towards her, tripping him and sending him stumbling forward.

"Sure this isn't your best, Vilkas!" Aela taunted as she took a few steps back, throwing her arms wide and grinning at the warrior as the others cheered and laughed as Vilkas scowled.

"You want my best!? Very well!" Vilkas growled as he rushed forward, but Aela was ready. She dove forward, blocking his slash with a swear, knees buckling for a moment as the powerful downward swing sent her to the ground, only to spring up and throw Vilkas off balance as she let out a wild slash that sent a streak of crimson flying through the air as Vilkas let out a cry of pain, stabbing forward with his sword, but Aela stepped out of the way and bashed his weapon onto the ground with her own blade.

Vilkas grunted in pain as Aela slammed her boot into his chest, following up with spin kick that sent him crashing to the ground, dazed. Aela drew her steel dagger and pounced on Vilkas, pressing the dagger against his throat and drawing blood.

"Dead," Aela whispered gleefully, earning a wide and proud grin from Vilkas.

"Enough! Aela has defeated Vilkas and has proven her valor!" Skjor said with a smile on his face, walking forward and raising Aela's hand into the air. As Skjor lowered her hand, Aela looked over at Nicholas and offered him a small smile before she walked off to the sides, where a few other warriors congratulated her on her win.

"That was so freaking awesome," Nicholas said to himself, unable to stop grinning.

"Did you enjoy the fight, lad?" a new voice spoke to him, low but powerful. Nicholas turned around and saw an older Nord man standing behind him with white hair and a full white beard. He seemed to carry himself differently than the others, as though he had seen many things and was wise in the ways of life, more so than others his age.

"Y-yeah. I mean, sorry if I was being nosy or anything, but I heard the noise and saw them fighting and...I'm rambling again," Nicholas said with a small laugh, earning a smile from the old man.

"Nothing is wrong with wanting to watch the Companions spar. It is good to watch and learn, from time to time, though action is always preferable. Such is the way of the Companions," The old man said as he looked over at the recovering warriors for a moment before turning back to Nicholas. "Where are my manners? I am Kodlak Whitemane, Harbinger of the Companions."

"My name is Nicholas." Nicholas held out his hand to Kodlak.

Kodlak smiled at Nicholas and shook his hand. "Come, young man. Let's go inside, its much warmer in there." Kodlak could tell that Nicholas was cold and not used to the weather.

Nicholas and Kodlak walked into the longhouse, to which Nicholas was amazed at the interior again. The inside resembled that of ancient nord, like Dragonsreach. This place had a different feeling to it though, like it had a boat-like presence. Most of the center area of Jorrvaskr was covered by a long mead table with a fire pit in front of it. One end of the area had 2 book shelves and a small table in between the two. On the other end was a set of stairs leading down. Nicholas saw on the wall by the staircase grey pieces of metal hanging on the wall.

"What are those?" Nicholas asked, motioning toward the wall with the pieces.

"Ah, those are the shards of Wuuthrad. They are pieces of the legendary battle axe, Wuuthrad. That axe was wielded by our founder, Ysgramor."

"Wow...who was he?" Nicholas asked with slight embarrassment for not knowing.

Kodlak just smiled at Nicholas and then looked back at the shards. "It is alright not to know, you are new here. Ysgramor was a great and powerful warrior, the leader of the 500 Companions of the Merethic Era. He and the 500 lead a crusade against the ancient snow elves of Skyrim, eventually claiming the land for the nords. In short, Ysgramor was the founder of Skyrim."

The way Kodlak spoke of Ysgramor gave Nicholas a look of awe to the current leader of the Companions. These warriors seemed so powerful, and had such rich history. "Thats...wow...wait. If that axe was used by the founder of Skyrim, then why is it in pieces?" Nicholas asked.

"Alas, that is where things turn bad. A group called the Silver Hand broke Wuuthrad and stole the shards. These are the ones that we have been able to recover over the years." Kodlak said solemnly.

"Why would they do that?"

"They are radicals, believing that Ysgramor was not the founder of Skyrim."

"...So in short, they're idiots." Nicholas said plainly.

At hearing that, Kodlak let out a chuckle. "Yes, that is the plain way to say it. Come, let us go to my chambers for tea."

"Wait, you guys have tea here?!" Nicholas asked in shock, but with excitement.

"Yes. It is a drink you're familiar with?"

"Hell yeah! That was one of my favorite types of drinks where I'm from!"

"Interesting." Kodlak said with a smile. The pair walked down the stairs into a basement like area. Right in front of them when they walked in was a room with 8 sets of bed, a few occupied by some Companion members. "This is where the newest Companions sleep. It is also a good place to interact, next to the mead hall." Kodlak explained. The pair continue walking down the hall, coming across separate rooms. Kodlak explained that those rooms were reserved for senior members of the Companions.

Nicholas and Kodlak make it to the end of the hall. The rooms they were in resembled a sitting room, with a table and two chairs in the corner. There was also a large bookcase and some display cases with weapons inside them. Kodlak sits down on one of the chairs, and Nicholas sits down on another. Kodlak then hands Nicholas a wooden cup. "Here you go young one."

"Thank you sir." Nicholas thanked him, then took a sip of the tea. For the first time since he arrived in this world, Nicholas sighed in relaxation. He felt safe here. "Hard the think just the other day, I was with my friends playing music for a losing team...now, I'm in the world of Skyrim.."

"We all must face our destiny at some point young man. We all have a purpose in this world...I sense something in you, young man. Something I sense in every single one of my shield-brothers and shield-sisters." Kodlak said, looking down at Nicholas, who looked at him in confusion.

"What would that be, sir?" Nicholas asked, unsure of where he was going with this.

"A fierce sense to prove your worth. To belong. To become stronger. You have a sense of honor, and a powerful sense of right and wrong. You cheered on Aela and gave her the push she needed to defeat a superior opponent. The Jarl seems to think you may be something truly special...I believe this as well, Nicholas."

"But you just met me. How can you tell anything about me?" Nicholas asked, not understanding. He had just met this man a few minutes ago, and here he was telling him he had the makings of a warrior? How did he know these things?

"Aela told me of you and your plight. She was curious about you and what would happen to you. As a result, I have learned a little about you from my discussion with her. And now, after walking and speaking with you...I know more about you. I know what you seek."

"OK, like what?" Nicholas asked the man,

"You wonder why you have come here, outsider. You are alone in a world that you do not understand. You are determined to find your friends...But Skyrim is a large and dangerous place. As you are now, alone and untrained, you will fall." Kodlak said quietly, looking up towards the sky, a faint smile on his face.

"What are you suggesting then?" Nicholas asked the old warrior.

"I am offering you a place amongst those closest to me. A place among the Companions. A chance to become something in this land. A warrior…"

"Something within you, I do not know what, gives me a good feeling. A feeling I have not felt in a very long time. I can sense the heart of the wolf inside of you, young Nicholas...I believe you will make a fine warrior in time. Someone my Shield-Brothers and Shield-Sisters can look to with a grin while in battle. We can offer you food. Shelter...And a place to belong." Kodlak said to Nicholas, who looked at him with amazement.

"You want me to become a Companion? I...Wow…" Nicholas muttered, awestruck. The Companions, as he had learned from Farengar and Balgruuf, were an ancient order of warriors who were highly respected and fought with honor and pride. Now, here he was, some outsider who had never fought a day in his life...Being personally recruited by the de facto leader of the Companions himself.

"I know this will be a hard decision. You have the Jarl's ear and have your own desires and wants. But I believe the Companions will be able to help you on your journey. I also believe that you, in time, can bring honor to the Companions." Kodlak said to Nicholas, who looked away.

Was this what he wanted? Honor and strength? To be honest, he had always had a bit of trouble with groups. He had always felt like a loner. An outsider. A weirdo…

Now he was being offered a chance to become something more. Strong. Confident. In time he would become a full-fledged warrior, capable of delving into Skyrim and finding his friends. Capable of finding that black dragon and forcing it to send him home…

But for now...For now he needed to do something. He needed a plan...And this was an opportunity that he just couldn't pass up.

"I accept." Nicholas said with a small smile, earning a nod of approval from the Harbringer. He would become a Companion, learn magic from Farengar, and seek the answers he sought for. He'd find his friends, someday...somehow…

And be ready for whatever came his way.


	6. One of Us

**Scattered By Destiny**

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AN:

_JC785: Hey there everyone, JC785 and FlygonNick here, bringing you another exciting, jam packed…Author's Note! XD Seriously though, finally got this chapter done! Wooo!_

_FlygonNick: Sorry about the delays. Joe's neck deep in school stuff and January...well, lets just say its a bad month for me. Really bad. Expect a Jak IV update within the next week or so, in regards to my own personal works. Sorry about the delay guys, I've just been sick as hell and going through a lot of shit. As per usual, I suppose._

_JC785: Oh, it wasn't that long of a wait for this chapter. About under 20 days since the last post. _

_FlygonNick: True. But still. _

_JC785: Hey, its an improvement for me alright. XD_

_FlygonNick: Fair enough._

_JC785: Lets see, shoutout time. Shoutout to randomguy1980, Kirone Draghen, &amp; Angelic Ink. Pretty good improvement from last chapter. Gotta keep getting those numbers up!_

_FlygonNick: You sound like a review-whore...So pretty much just like me, actually. _

_JC785: Yeah, exactly like you. You're a bad influence on me. lol_

_FlygonNick: Shit, thats scary dude. _

_JC785: DUN DUN DUNNNNNNNNN._

_FlygonNick: Right...Well then, expect some more stuff from me in the future on my own page. I've got a new story in the works and Apocalypse DOTD revisions are under way again. I'm at chapter 11 now, which is really good because it means the worst of the edits are done._

_JC785: Also, for the people that are still wondering when Joe, Jess, and John come in, its gonna be a little bit of time before the first one of them comes in. Rest assured, it'll be a good intro when that happens. _

_FlygonNick: We're setting up a long story here, with quite a few chapters ahead of us. Skyrim is a massive place with a lot of story to it, and we're going to cover quite a bit of it. So that requires a large story. So just bear with us for now, savvy? _

_JC785: But anyways, you guys probably wanna read the chapter now, so here you go!_

_JC785 &amp; FlygonNick: Enjoy the chapter!_

* * *

**Chapter 6: One of Us**

**By JC785 and FlygonNick**

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Four Weeks Later:

Nicholas stood face to face with Vilkas in the training area behind Jorrvaskr, holding an iron sword in one hand and an iron shield in the other. Since joining the Companions, Nicholas had been constantly training with Vilkas and Farkas on swordsmanship and combat, with Aela helping every now and then.

Vilkas was the main overseer of Nicholas's training, and kept Nicholas training constantly ever since he joined the Companions. When they weren't battling or learning fighting techniques, he was helping Nicholas build up his strength. Signs of muscles were already showing on Nicholas's arms, and he was quickly dropping any excess weight he had before coming to Skyrim. Nicholas attributed that to the extreme change in diet and large amount of exercise. Nothing motivates a workout regimen quite like a need to survive in a world where everyone knows magic and/or has a weapon on them at all times, and massive creatures of death await you around every corner.

"Again!" Vilkas shouted at Nicholas, holding up his own shield and sword.

Nicholas yelled and charged forward towards Vilkas. He started to trade blows with Vilkas, only for most his hits to land on Vilkas's shield. His hits were powerful though, forcing Vilkas to take a few steps back.

"Not bad New Blood! Your form needs work however!" Vilkas shouted as he skillfully sidestepped a slash, causing Nicholas to jump back before charging at Vilkas. Vilkas smirked and ducked under the slash with small smile as he swiftly tripped up Nicholas. Nicholas fell forward and landed on his back, and looked up in time to see Vilkas's sword only inches from his eyes.

"Dead." Vilkas said before sheathing his sword. He then held a hand out to Nicholas, to which Nicholas took and was pulled to his feet. "You are improving quickly though. I had to step back a few more times than usual. You're developing a bit more power, as well. In time, I think you'll be a powerful warrior."

"Well thats a good thing." Nicholas said with a weak smile. Nicholas wore a set of hide armor, minus the helmet. His body was covered with bruises and a few cuts, and he was greatly exhausted. But Nicholas quickly learned that you were always exhausted if you were a warrior. At the same time, he had a feeling of accomplishment, a sense of pride that he finally was doing something no one else from his world could dream of.

"So, what now?" Nicholas asked, sheathing his own sword.

"Hmm...I believe now would be a good time to give you some leeway. Go explore the town. I'll have to talk with Aela and Kodlak about perhaps getting you some proper gear once you train yourself up a bit more. We may need to start training you on some long distance weapons. We'll see if Aela can make some time for you to get some practice in." Vilkas said with a nod.

"Sure thing." Nicholas was glad for the free time, especially since he was getting little of it recently. He went back into Jorrvaskr and went downstairs to his bed and chest. It was the area shared with the other new Companions, so privacy was a bit on the low side. Lucky, Kodlak gave Nicholas a chest with a lock on it, as to keep the contents inside from other prying eyes. Inside his chest was a brown journal Nicholas was given to keep his thoughts in. It also contained all his old clothes and marching uniform, even though they were nearly ruined. Nicholas took some time to write in his journal a bit before changing out of his hide armor, and into the clothes he had gotten from Jarl Balgruuf.

Nicholas stepped outside of the front doors of Jorrvaskr and looked at his surroundings. Right off the bat he heard the preachings of the insane priest near the steps to Dragonsreach. One of the first things he saw after that was the gigantic dead tree that stood in the center of a small stone island surrounded by water. The area looked like it was supposed to resemble a garden, but it was clear that wasn't the case right now. Nicholas walked to the base of the tree and looked up at the dead branches. He had seen the tree before, but had never truly inspected it close up until now.

"It is sad, isn't it?" A woman's voice said, coming from nowhere. Nicholas jumped at hearing the voice, but then settled when he saw a woman coming around the other side of the tree. She was in brown robes and had a dark yellow hood up. She also had a strange looking amulet around her neck.

"The tree? Yeah, it does look pretty bad right now. Almost like its dead." Nicholas replied as he crossed his arms.

"There was a time where the Gildergreen bloomed such beautiful flowers from its branches. But in recent years, the tree has begun to wilt, not blooming any new flowers. It is a sad sight to behold." The woman replied solemnly.

"Isn't there a way to help the tree?" Nicholas asked the priest.

"There is, but it requires a tool that is lost to me….oh, I must apologize, I have not introduced myself. I am Danica Pure-Spring, priestess and healer of Kynareth." Danica bowed at Nicholas.

"Who is Kynareth?" Nicholas asked curiously. History and lore from his own world wasn't something he was a fan of, but learning the history of this new world never seemed to bore him. It was utterly fascinating to learn about the creatures, people, and places of Skyrim, or Tamriel in general.

"She is a great goddess of the Nine Divines. She controls the winds and the elements, and she made it so Tamiel was made in the beginning." Danica said quietly, her words with much reverence and hope.

"Thats interesting." Nicholas was never big on religion himself, but this belief resembled closely to what people thought of God on Earth. "Oh! I'm Nicholas by the way. It's a pleasure to meet you." He said with a smile. Danica returned the smile at that.

"Thank you for your time Nicholas. I must get back to the temple now however. Come see me another time if you would like to help with the Gildergreen." At that, Danica turned around and walked down a path to a large building nearby.

Nicholas wandered around the town for a little bit more after that, seeing some kids running around playing tag, and seeing some elderly people in gardens. He eventually ended up in the marketplace, with a few stalls set up around a well with people selling a variety of goods. Nicholas walked up to one stand to took a look at some of the apples.

"You looking to buy or just eat with your eyes?" The woman behind the stall said with a bit of an irritated tone. Nicholas looked up at her with a bit of a frown. She had on a light green dress with a brown apron on. She also had some pouches around a belt she had on.

"Well maybe I was going to buy, but now I'm not so sure now if you're going to act like that to a customer." Nicholas said before starting to turn around.

"No wait!" The woman stopped him before he walked away. "Look, I'm sorry about that, I just...I don't have many good experiences with men. I shouldn't have gotten mad at a customer like that."

Nicholas looked at her for a moment before softening his expression a bit. "There's no need to be rude to every man that you come across though. I was just going to buy an apple, you know..."

"Oh...thank you.." The woman said softly before taking the few septums that Nicholas handed her. Thankfully the Companions paid him a little for the odd jobs he did to earn his keep. He then took the apple she gave him and bit into it. Nice, fresh, and juicy. "Um...can I ask you a favor sir?"

Nicholas raised his eyebrow before replying. "Sure, what's up?"

"Well, there's been this one man that won't leave me alone. He keeps trying to court me, even though I have turned down his requests time and time again. I keep telling him that I'm not interested, and that I only care about my daughter, but he refuses to leave me alone" the woman said in a rather tired tone.

"And you need me to tell him to back off, right?" Nicholas said with a small smile.

"That is it, yes. His name is Mikael, he's a bard in the Bannered Mare." the woman said with a relieved look on her face.

"Sure thing, I'll see if I can get him to back off. Could you point me the way to the Bannered Mare, though? I'm still new to Whiterun." Nicholas made sure to not say 'new to this world'.

"Of course. Its right over there." The woman pointed to the building to the right of her stall. "My name is Carlotta Valentia, in case you were wondering."

"My names Nicholas." He returned the courtesy to her, then started to walk to the Bannered Mare.

The bar itself was rather cozy, with a roaring fire surrounded by benches and chairs. Nicholas looked around for a moment, eyeing the occupants, before his eyes settled on a man playing a lute just fifteen feet in front of him. He simply strummed it, though it was obvious he was pretty good at it. Nicholas walked right over to him, drawing the bard's attention.

"You're the bard, right?" Nicholas asked the man, who nodded.

"I'm a bard by trade. Perhaps you've heard of me?" Mikael said with a smirk.

"You need to leave Carlotta Valentia alone." Nicholas said firmly to the man, who blinked a few times before scowling. The bar was quickly growing quiet as they eyed the two men standing in the middle of the inn.

"Carlotta put you up to this, didn't she? I'm sorry, but that fiery widow is mine. She just doesn't know it yet." Mikael said as his tone turned suggestive. Nicholas felt a burning desire to punch the living shit out of him. When someone says no, that means no. What kind of asshole would you have to be to keep pressing your feelings when someone clearly doesn't want you to?

"Leave her alone. Or else." Nicholas said with a growl in his voice. He stood a bit shorter than the man, but after his training with the Companions, he knew he wasn't a slouch in a fight, even if he was still learning. The man was a little taller than him, but had just about as much muscle as he did now.

"I don't have to take that from you!" Mikael yelled, drawing everyone's attention. He put away his lute as he took a step forward, swinging a fist at Nicholas's face and punched him as hard as he could, sending him stumbling back a step. Nicholas tasted a little bit of blood, but turned to face the bard, grinning widely as the bar patrons watched on.

"Thank you ma'am, can I have another?" Nicholas said with a grin, causing the entire bar to start laughing at the bard in reply. Nicholas walked forward and put up his hands like Vilkas had shown him, and after a moment Mikael did the same. "Give me a real fight!"

Mikael charged forward again and tried to deck Nicholas in the face again, but Nicholas easily dodged it with a small laugh escaping his throat. Vilkas's training kicked in while Nicholas was blocking his hits and pushing them to the side. Nicholas took a jab to Mikael's stomach, giving him time to step back a couple steps. Mikael stepped forward, throwing a punch at Nicholas and catching him in the stomach, causing him to stumble back as the air was driven out of him, but a grin was still on his face. Nicholas lunged forward and delivered a quick series of punches to Mikael's chest and stomach before punching him in the face, shattering his nose.

"Note to self. High-five Farkas and Vilkas for teaching me how to fight." Nicholas thought with a wide grin as Mikael stumbled into the bar, snarling furiously at the teen standing behind him. Mikael turned around with a growl, blood streaming down his face.

"Come on, bitch! Is that all you got?" Nicholas laughed as Mikael scowled at him, before running in for another punch. Nicholas ducked under the swing and swung his right hand upwards, slamming his fist into the bard's jaw. The man stumbled backwards before falling onto the ground.

The bard glared at Nicholas with anger and tried to get back up to his feet, but before he could, the teen drew his sword and levelled it at the man's nose.

"I think I've bested you, wouldn't you say?" Nicholas said quietly, a hint of anger in his voice. He couldn't stand douchebags like this guy, who thought that just because he was a guy he could do and say whatever he wanted to women. It was disgusting, in his opinion.

"Y-yes...On my honor, I will not bother Carlotta Valentia again. You have my word." Mikael said thickly, clutching his nose. Nicholas nodded and sheathed his sword before extending a hand downwards to the bard, who starred at it for a moment before grabbing it. Nicholas pulled the man to his feet and said, "Good."

Nicholas started as the occupants of the bar began clapping and cheering, and Nicholas saw to his amazement that the bar-goers were smiling at him. Nicholas smiled a little and excused himself before walking out of the bar, with Mikael slinking back over to a seat at the back of the bar.

"Something's got them in a good mood today." The old woman said at a nearby jewelry stand with a small laugh.

"I guess they like seeing bad guys knocked down a peg or two." Nicholas replied to the woman, who smiled at Nicholas as he walked over to Carlotta. "Mikael won't be bothering you anymore."

"Thank you so much Nicholas! I don't know how I could ever possibly repay you for this" Carlotta said with a wide smile, before a light bulb went off in her head. "Oh, yes! Of course. Here, take this as my thanks."

The woman pulled out a small bag of jingling coins from beneath her stall and handed it to Nicholas with a smile. Nicholas hesitated for a moment, torn between his need to actually have some money of his own in this world and his desire to not want to be paid for helping someone out. It just made him feel bad, being paid to do the right thing. He decided to just accept the coins in the end, since he was pretty much broke.

"Thank you. And if he ever messes with you again, feel free to come to me. I'll set him straight again." Nicholas said as he slipped the bag of coins into a pocket. Carlotta nodded and thanked Nicholas again before he set off again.

"Well, that was an interesting start to the day. Lets see what else this town has to offer...Not that I know where anything is," Nicholas realized after a moment. "You'd think that after spending a month here, I'd know where the hell things are here. Well, you'd be wrong."

Nicholas started walking towards the front of the city gates, looking at some of the buildings that were on his left and right. As he got closer to the gates, he started to hear the clanging of metal towards his left. The noise was coming from a shop with a blacksmith working at a workbench. Nicholas had been given some basic smithing training by Eorlund Gray-Mane, but he had not seen the bench that the blacksmith was using.

"Excuse me?" Nicholas said as he walked over to the forge. The blacksmith turned around, and Nicholas was a bit surprised for a moment. "Wait...Adrianne?"

A few weeks ago, while he was talking to Jarl Balgruuf, Nicholas had met Proventus Avenicci's daughter, Adrianne Avenicci. He was a bit taken back now to see her here. "I didn't know you were a blacksmith," Nicholas said to the woman at the bench, genuinely surprised.

"Did I not mention that when we met?" She asked.

"No, I don't think so."

"Hmm. Well, now you know." She said with a smile. "So what are you doing out?"

"Just exploring the city, since I got some free time from training. I just got into a fight with the bard, which was fun."

"How did that turn out?"

"Pretty well, considering he wasn't very good at it. He was stalking one of the vendors and I taught him why he shouldn't be a creepy douche." Nicholas explained to the blacksmith, who nodded.

"Interesting." She said, leaning back on the bench.

"Hey, what was that you were doing?" Nicholas asked, pointing to the table.

Adrianne looked back at the bench she was leaning on. "What, the workbench? Its used for improving your armor. Did Eorlund not teach you about smithing yet?"

"No he did. I just haven't been trained with that yet." Nicholas replied.

"Really?" Adrianne got a mix of a smile and a smirk on her face. "Then how about I teach you?"

"...Wait what?" Nicholas asked, thrown off.

"Yeah, it'll be good practice for you." She leaned away from the workbench and walked to the forge. "First, you're gonna smith me an iron dagger."

"But...I already have one…" Nicholas said, starting to hold his own up in the air.

"I didn't ask you if you had one, I said make me one." Adrianne said with a deadpan look. She grabbed 2 leather strips and 2 iron ingots and tossed them to Nicholas, who caught them clumsily. "Use these."

Nicholas looked at the items for a moment before he got to work. He put the ingots in a shaper and put them inches over the forge. After a few minutes, the ingots melted into the mold and took shape. Nicholas pulled the mold out at set it in a vat of cold water by the forge. Steam erupted from the bucket as the iron cooled down quickly, and before long, it was cool enough to be handled. Nicholas took out the iron and began to wrap the leather strips around it. Adrianna gave Nicholas a few basic instructions, and after just a few minutes, he had made a iron dagger.

"There, all done." Nicholas said as he tossed the dagger to Adrianne, which she caught by the hilt. She gave a quick inspection of it before smiling at Nicholas once more.

"For your first time, this isn't bad at all." She tossed it back to him with a small smirk, though this time he managed to snatch it out of the air and not look like an asshole. "Its a bit dull though, so go ahead and sharpen it for me. Use the grindstone over there."

Nicholas walked over to the grindstone and sat down in front of the round stone. He started to pump the lever by the ground and the stone started to spin around. Nicholas placed the sharp edges of the dagger on the stone, and sparks started to fly away from him. He kept this up for a few minutes, moving the blade around on the stone, until he stopped pumping and stood up. "Hows this for you?" He walked the blade over to Adrianne, handing the dagger to her this time.

She turned the blade over a few times, before she carefully pricked her pinkie on the tip of the blade. Once again, she gave him a small smile and handed the iron dagger back to him. "Not bad, not bad at all. Now, we're going to move onto improving your armor." Nicholas opened his mouth to say something, but she stopped him mid-sentence. "And before you ask, no, you won't have to make more armor."

Nicholas walked with Adrianne over to the bench she was working on before. She stood off to the side and picked up something from the ground. She had a hide helmet in her hands, and she placed it on the table. "Now, you're gonna be improving this helmet."

"Ok, how do I do that?" Nicholas asked while looking at the different tools on the table. Adrianne walks him through the steps of improving his armor, from adding extra patches of material around the helmet, to making sure that they don't fall off. When he finishes, Nicholas has the helmet looking way better than it did before.

"And thats how its done!" Adrianne said with a smile, patting Nicholas on the back. He looked down at his work with pride for a moment, before he looks back up at his trainer.

"Thank you so much Adrianne. What do I owe you for the materials?" Nicholas starts to grabs some coins from his pouch, before she shook her head.

"Don't worry about it. Helping a bright young man like you learn about my craft is its own reward." Aidianne said with a smile. "Feel free to come on by whenever you like and use my forge. Its always open to you, Nicholas."

"Thanks, Adrianne." Nicholas said with a grin.

"Now, you best be off now. I have to get back to work on this order. Have a nice day, Nicholas." Adrianne said to the teen, who bid her goodbye and walked away with his sharpened dagger and helmet in tow.

"I love free shit." Nicholas thought happily as he walked down the path...before swiftly remembering he had no idea where he was. Seriously, this town wasn't THAT big.

"I need to invest in a map." Nicholas sighed.

"Need some directions whelp?" a familiar voice said from behind him. Nicholas glanced behind him and saw Aela and Skjor walking towards him.

"Hey guys. How's it going?" Nicholas asked lightly as the two warriors walked towards him.

"Not too bad. Just finished a job outside Whiterun, involving a few rogue bandits. We were going to have you tag along, but we decided to hold off until you were more prepared." Aela said to the young man with a small smile.

"Probably a smart idea. I mean, I'm getting better, but I'm nowhere near your level." Nicholas said with a shrug.

"Caution. That's a good quality to have. Level-headedness can keep the best of warriors alive, and a tactical mind is good on the battlefield." Skjor said with a nod.

"Thanks."

"So, what have you been up to, whelp?" Aela asked Nicholas, who replied with "Helped out Carlotta over there with a problem and beat the shit out of the bard."

"Really now?" Skjor said with a smirk.

"Well, I did actually learn a bit of fighting from you guys. Also he's a bard, dude, not Muhammad Ali."

"Who?"

"Famous fighter in my world. Don't worry about it," Nicholas said dismissively.

"Very well."

"Hey, would you guys mind giving me a tour of Whiterun? I'm all for bumbling around town like an asshole, but it'd be nice to get a tour from someone who knows the place pretty well."

"Sure thing, come on new blood." Aela said with a grin, starting to walk forward. Nicholas walked alongside Skjor as the experienced companions told Nicholas all about the different districts of the city. They also told him about the shops, homes, factions in the city, and told him about the people. Nicholas absorbed all the information with intense curiosity. When he played a bit of the game, he kind of skipped past the dialogue and just got straight to the action. Now, he really wanted to learn all he could. About an hour passed before the trio came to stop in front of a house.

"And here's our stop." Skjor said with a small smile on his face. It was a house by the Gildergreen Tree, close to the Jorrvaskr. A rather small house that could only be described as a shack.

"Um, why are we stopping here?" Nicholas asked Skjor, who's smile widened. He didn't like where this is going.

"This is your job for the day, whelp. There are many times when the Companions are required to assist in small matters within one of the holds. This is one of those times. Go inside the shack and confront the beast within. Defeat it, and prove yourself. Die, and...Well, you would have never lasted long with us anyway."

Nicholas regarded the two daggers he had on hand with a grimace. He wasn't expecting to have to fight today like that, otherwise he would have worn his armor. He sighed internally and got ready for whatever lay within. He grabbed the handle of the door before pulling it open and slipping inside of the house.

Nicholas blinked in surprise as he got his bearings in the shack.

"...How the fuck did a wolf get in here?" Nicholas wondered aloud as the animal's head lowered into a growl. It had dark-colored fur and had its fangs bared, ready to attack. Nicholas didn't fancy his chances against this monster, but he remembered that Aela and Skjor were both waiting outside, ready to give him backup if he needed it...probably.

The wolf pounced from the bed, and Nicholas jumped to the side of the room and let the wolf jump onto the floor. Nicholas pointed both of his daggers at the wolf and yelled "Bring it!"

The wolf pounced again, and Nicholas jammed both of his blades into the wolf as it tackled him to the ground, tearing at his clothes and ripping through his flesh, spraying the ground with blood. Nicholas ripped out his sharper dagger and slammed it into the jaw of the wolf as it clamped its jaw down on his left arm, trying to tear it free from the wolf tensed for a moment, which Nicholas used to kick the wolf off of him as hard as he could. He got to his feet, his arm bleeding heavily and his chest hurting from the small slashes from the canine's claws. The wolf whined weakly as it stepped towards him, trying to attack him again, but Nicholas stabbed the weakened animal in the head with his sharper dagger, killing it.

"...Did I just kill a wolf?" Nicholas wondered aloud as he clutched his savaged arm, leaning against the wall. He managed to open the door and slip outside, where Aela and Skjor were waiting for him.

"You don't look so hot, whelp." Skjor said with a small laugh as Nicholas limped out of the shack.

"You suck. Both of you." Nicholas hissed as he swung a fist at Skjor, who effortlessly dodged it..

"Would a healing potion make you feel better?" Aela asked with a laugh, handing the teen a small vial of red fluid. Nicholas eyed the potion for a moment, but decided to take it anyway. He grabbed it with his right and hand and began to drink the concoction. Imagine drinking expired cherry cough syrup with a stronger taste, and you'll get a feel for what health potions in Skyrim taste like. Though, to be fair, it was better than what he was expecting.

"Not...bad, I guess. Better than I thought it'd be." Nicholas grunted as his slash wounds sealed shut, removing all traces of injury. He felt fine now, oddly enough. Even the pain from the wounds was swiftly fading away.

"Everyone always says that." Aela laughed as Skjor clapped Nicholas on the shoulder.

"Well done, lad. You've completed your first official job as a member of the Companions. I'd say you're looking like one of us more and more each day." Nicholas felt a grin spread on his face at the praise.

"We should head back to Jorrvaskr. Kodlak said he had an announcement of sorts for us." Aela said to the two men, who nodded. Nicholas began to walk up the steps to the HQ of the Companions, smiling to himself. He was getting there...He had a very long way to go before he was anywhere near Aela and Skjor's level, but he was starting to become stronger. If he kept at it, he could become something. Something capable of traversing Skyrim and finding his friends…Wherever they were.


	7. Extinguished

**Scattered By Destiny**

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AN:

_JC785: Hey there everybody! JC785 &amp; FlygonNick here._

_FlygonNick: As you may or may not be aware, we've decided on a 2-3 week update cycle, due to our scheduling-_

_JC785: Mostly my schedule. Sorry guys, but college is a cold bitch that demands constant attention._

_FlygonNick: No worries. Real life obligations come first. Besides, I can pick up the slack whenever I need to. lol_

_JC785: Rest assured though, we will still be getting chapters out. _

_FlygonNick: We'd give a shoutout to those who reviewed, but no one did, so we will abstain from that for now. _

_As always, keep up the reviews and feedback. Letting us know what parts you like or what you look forward to is a core part of evolving a story into something more. As seen with Apocalypse DOTD, it improved over time. This happened as a result of reviews, continued support, and most importantly, feedback. _

_JC785: The difference here though, is I won't be doing a poll to add 20 new characters to my story :3_

_FlygonNick: Don't remind me...And it was like, 10 characters. -.-_

_JC785: No it wasn't. lol. Now back to the story!_

JC785 &amp; FlygonNick: Enjoy the chapter!

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**Chapter 7: Extinguished**

**By: JC785 &amp; FlygonNick**

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"And that's why drinking Red Bull is a terrible idea when you've got to take a three hour math test." Nicholas summed up as Aela took aim again.

"I'm grateful we do not have such things in Tamriel, Nicholas. I expect we'd weigh three hundred pounds and do nothing but sit around all day." Aela said dryly as she watched Nicholas notch an arrow with his longbow.

He had been practicing with Aela for roughly a week now, and he was finally getting the hang of archery. By "getting the hang of it," it meant he was now hitting the target at last. Aela somehow managed to hit the center every single damn time.

"Probably not. You guys are way more fit than people in my world. Then again, you guys probably don't live as long, even with magic. You guys just don't have the same medicine and hygiene practices that my world does."

"Would being clean really extend your life?" Aela asked Nicholas, who nodded.

"Yep. Its just about taking care of yourself, in the long run. I expect that in this world, if you're careful, you could probably live for a while anyway. At least what's here makes sense, in a way. I'm familiar enough with what's here to get by. The laws of nature more or less work here, disregarding the magic and magical creatures thing, and this more or less seems like how things worked a few hundred years in the past in my world."

"Your world sounds so interesting, yet at the same time so boring." Aela remarked with a smile.

"Yeah...Its odd."

"Do you miss it?" Aela asked after a moment.

"Of course I do...But I'll see it again. I'll see my family again.I'll see my friends again. I just have to stick with what I'm doing, and I'll find them along the way and make my way home…Its just a feeling I have."

"You said that a portal opened up in your world. Do you think others from your world were sent here?" Aela asked, leaning against one of the poles outside.

"Probably. Me and my friends were close to each other when we got sucked into the portal. Anyone that was close by may have been sucked in too. I really don't know, Aela." Nicholas said as he let the arrow fly. It embedded itself a few inches from the center of the target, his best shot yet.

"Excellent shot. You're leaning." Aela said with an appreciative nod.

"A week at it and I can shoot an arrow straight. I guess I better get this thing down, I don't want to rely only on close quarters for combat." Nicholas remarked as he notched another arrow and fired. He didn't quite make it as close to the center this time, but he still made a decent shot.

"True. Its better to have a wide arsenal of moves and strengths. Sadly, none of the Companions are versed in magic, due to our discomfort with it, so we find ourselves outmatches by spellswords and the like." Aela said with a grimace.

"Spellswords, huh? Like warrior wizards?" Nicholas asked Aela, who nodded.

"Someone who is skilled in magic and adept in swordplay could be a deadly foe. Its better to have a balance of skills, in my opinion. Hence why I practice with the sword and dagger, despite my forte being the bow." Aela explained.

"I like using a sword. It works for me. The bow isn't too bad, though. I'm working on some destructive magic on the side. We'll see where I'm at down the road." Nicholas shrugged.

"True. For now, you're learning. And doing well, I may add." Aela said with a smile.

Nicholas looked back at the archer with a wide grin and said "Thanks."

"So, any new developments within the Companions? You're more in with them than me, you know." Nicholas asked Aela as he prepared to fire again.

_Thud._

"Too far left." Nicholas muttered.

"And this is just standing still at a stationary target. You'll have to practice shooting at moving targets, shooting while moving, shooting while moving at moving targets, shooting at flying targets, and even shooting from horseback. Archey is useful in so many way, if you have but the patience to learn." Aela said as she picked out a dagger from her belt and began to clean her fingernails. Nicholas smiled inwardly and took aim again.

"You never answered my question, though."

"You're a bit too green to know what goes on within the Companions, whelp. Be glad Kodlak has taken such a liking to you."

"I'm still surprised that he offered me a place with you guys. I wish I knew what he saw in me." Nicholas said after a moment as his smile faded, pausing and lowering his bow.

"The spirit of the wolf. A strong, proud, and powerful spirit with a sense of honor and justice. He sensed in you what he sensed in all of us. A warrior. We just have to train you up a bit. In time, you'll be a Shield-Brother to be proud of." Aela said with a smile. Nicholas smiled at that and took aim once more, inhaling slowly and exhaling before letting the arrow fly.

Bullseye.

"...Holy shit, I did it!" Nicholas said triumphantly, throwing his fight into the air with a grin.

"Well done, whelp." Aela said to the teen, not drawing attention to the 107 bullseyes she had gotten roughly 20 minutes earlier. It was good to let him have this moment, anyway.

"Yeah, well...I have a good teacher and all that." Nicholas said to Aela, who smiled at that.

"Careful, whelp. One may think you were flirting with me." Aela said playfully.

"What? Hell no. I mean, you're insanely pretty, but you're my teacher. I couldn't do something like that. Plus, Skjor would kick the crap out of me." Nicholas said to the young woman, who flushed red.

"S-skjor? What does he have to do with this?" Aela sputtered embarrassedly.

"Come on, Aela. I saw the stains on your bed the other day when I was talking to you the other day. You and him are totally banging on the side."

"S-shut up! Or do I have to beat some respect into you?" Aela growled at the teen, who shrugged.

"Nah. I'm done for the day." Nicholas replied with a smirk.

"Then lets move onto the dummy." Aela said while she walked over to the target dummy. "I want you to shoot this dummy in the head."

"Huh, so basically just do to this thing what you do to zombies, right?"

"What are zombies?"

"You know, the living undead."

"Oh, you mean the draugr."

"Yeah...those." Nicholas felt a shiver run up his spine when he thought of the first draugr he encountered. Thinking of the zombies he knew of proved no difficulty, but thinking of the real life encounter he had, it was still nerve racking.

Nicholas pulled his bow up and took sight at the dummy. He pulled his arrow back and let out a slow breath.

A piercing scream came through the air as Nicholas fired his bow at the target. His arrow shot up and over the city wall, disappearing from view.

"What the hell was that?" Nicholas said with a confused look, looking around for the source. Aela frowned and looked out towards Whiterun, her frown becoming more pronounced.

"It came from the Gildergreen. Follow me!" Aela said as she took off running, bow in one hand, with Nicholas following close behind, his iron sword drawn.

The two rounded the stone wall around the front of Jorrvaskr and come to a gruesome scene. A nord in noble clothes stood leaning against the Gildergreen, a small dagger in his hand, and a look of pure fear in his eyes as blood streamed downed his side. Standing in front of the nord was a figure in red and black armor, adorned with a number or straps and buckles around the armor. The attacker wore a hood and a face cowl, and had a steel sword drawn.

"Pl..please, have mercy!" The noble nord pleaded, waving his dagger in front of him, but to no avail. The attacker simply knocked the dagger out of his hands, and paused before dealing the killing blow, stabbing the man viciously through the stomach with his sword. The man screamed horribly in agony, causing the hair's on the back of Nicholas's neck to stand up. It did not last long, for when the attacker pulled his sword out, he then swung it across the nord neck, opening up his throat and nearly decapitating him. The attack knocked the nord to the ground, letting the blood flow from his neck freely and onto the stone. The nord tried gasping for air for a few seconds, but it was not long before the final breath left his lips.

"Who is that?" Nicholas said quietly as he got into a fighting stance, with Aela putting away her bow.

"I don't know, but we can ask questions later. Kill the assassin!" Aela shouted as she ran forward with her sword drawn now. The said assassin turned around and blocked her attack with his own sword before she can land a hit. The assassin jumped back a bit and began to trade blows with Aela. Nicholas pulled out his bow and took an aim on the assassin.

Before he fired, he noticed something out of the corner of his eye, on the roof. It was another assassin on the roof of the House Grey-Mane, dressed in similar red and black armor, but it looked more like robes. The assassin on the roof threw his hands to his side, igniting them with fire. The assassin then started to make a ring of fire around the Gildergreen, cutting off any path of escape for Aela. Nicholas fired his arrow at the assassin on the roof, but it flew too far right, and landed at the assassin's feet.

Aela continued to duel with the assassin before she was knocked back once more. Her left leg had landed in the fire ring, causing painful burns for Aela. She took her leg out quickly and hissed in pain, while the assassin used this time to turn and leap through the flames to escape. The assassin on the roof followed suit, leaping down off the roof he was on and following behind the first assassin.

Nicholas worked his way around the flames and worked to catch up to the duo. When he finally reached them, Nicholas came head to head with the assassin that killed the noble. The assassin drew his sword quickly and took a few swings at Nicholas before he could draw his own sword, landing some of those hits on his armor. Nicholas finally drew his sword and traded blows with the assassin.

"_This guy's quick!_" Nicholas thought as he ducked under a stab and threw his elbow at the man's chest, sending him stumbling backwards. The man jumped back with a soft swear and pulled out a small bottle from his belt and smashed it on the ground, creating a massive wave of fire that rushed towards Nicholas, who threw himself out of the way just in time. Nicholas pulled out his bow and stepped out of cover, firing at an arrow at the assassin, who jumped out of the way and threw another bottle of fire at Nicholas who shot it in midair, spraying flames everywhere and causing the assassin to shout in pain as the fire rained down on him, causing him to turn away and bolt down the road after the magician assassin.

"Not so fast!" Nicholas muttered as he took aim again, notching a steel arrow and taking careful aim before letting the arrow fly-

Into the assassin's shoulder.

The man fell to the ground with a howl of pain, causing the magician to glance back at him with worry and run back towards him, even as Nicholas fired another arrow, which was bounced back at him with a spell.

"Foolish boy!" The magician assassin cackled as he and the other assassin became invisible as Nicholas drew near. Nicholas was then thrown back as an arc of lightning slammed into him, emitted from the palm of the magician, who cackled as Nicholas screamed in pain and fell to the ground with a few tremors. Nicholas saw two shimmers exit through the gates, even as the guards began to regroup.

"God, that hurt...Who were those two?" Nicholas muttered as he began to get back to his feet, grateful for the conditioning his body was getting. A month ago that would have hospitalized or killed him. Now, he'd just be sore as hell for a few hours unless he went to a healer.

Or learned magic as well…

He was amazed at the ease of which that assassin had used magic, creating a wall of fire effortlessly and using all of those spells repeatedly took a lot of skill and a lot of magicka, something he lacked.

For now, anyway. Aela and Skjor reminded Nicholas that he was new to this world and was growing every day, from their training. In this world, you could continue to grow stronger so long as you used the skills that you wanted to strengthen.

Perhaps it was time for him to try a bit harder at using magic…

"Damn them…" Aela hissed as she walked into sight, the back of her left leg looking rather badly burned. She was tough as nails, but it was obvious she was in pain.

"Now what?" Nicholas asked Aela, who shook her head.

"They're long gone, along with any attempt at tracking them...The Guards will take over from here. Come...We can report to Kodlak and see what he makes of this." Aela said as she turned around and limped back to Jorrvaskr, gritting her teeth.

"Here, let me help." Nicholas took one of Aela's arms and threw it over his shoulder, helping her with her bad leg side.

"Thank you Nicholas." Aela said, grateful, as the the pair walked inside Jorrvaskr, and were greeted with Skjor and Kodlak. Once they saw Nicholas and Aela, they jumped to Aela's side quickly.

"What happened?!" Kodlak asked, worried as he looked between the two warriors.

"Who did this to you? I'll kill them!" Skjor said with a growl, hand gripping the hilt of his sword.

"Calm down, both of you. I'm alright, this just stings like hell." Aela said as she is seated in one of the open chairs. "As for who did this...it was the Dark Brotherhood."

A heavy silence filled the room for a moment while Nicholas looked at the 3 Companions. Nicholas had never encountered the Dark Brotherhood while playing Skyrim, so he had no memory of them.

"Who are they?" Nicholas asked, breaking the silence.

"They are a guild of assassins that have operated in Tamriel for centuries. Recently though, we were under the impression they had been wiped out. It appears we were mistaken." Kodlak explained.

"Almost sounds like Assassin's Creed." Nicholas remarked.

"What is Assassin's Creed?" Skjor asks.

"A game from my world, not important...so now with a dragon problem, we have to deal with an assassin problem too." Nicholas said a bit annoyed.

"Not exactly. The Dark Brotherhood's intentions are dark and wrong, but there is a certain level of...right to what they do." Kodlak said.

"What?! How can you say that, someone was just killed by them!" Nicholas shouted.

"Keep your voice down new blood." Skjor said. "What Kodlak means is that most people that the Dark Brotherhood kill have a contract placed on them, and for good reasons. I've heard rumors before of how nords would place a contract against evil or bad people that harmed them. The Dark Brotherhood takes care of the rest."

"But…" Before Nicholas could finish, he stopped himself. The way due process here worked a lot different than back home for Nicholas. It didn't sit right with him, but it was the way things worked here. "...alright. So are there any other guilds that we need to worry about?"

"No. There is the Thieves Guild, and the College of Winterhold, but they aren't much cause for concern. The thieves mainly stay in Riften, and haven't been too big of a problem for some time now." Kodlak said with a small smile.

"And the mages?" Nicholas asked.

"Like I said, the mages aren't a threat. The ones at the college are good, but they have had a bad word around them, thanks to what happened in Winterhold in the past."

"Why? What happened?" Nicholas asked.

"During the eruption of Red Mountain, Winterhold was badly damaged from the debris that came from the mountain. However, the college was spared somehow, only suffering very little damage to the college walls. The people of Winterhold thus believe that the mages did something to either protect themselves from the eruption, or actually caused the eruption."

"How can someone….you know what, nevermind. Magic is crazy, I'll accept it." Nicholas said, momentarily throwing his hands up in frustration.

"You are rather strange Nicholas." Aela said while another Companion helped to tend to her leg.

"Yeah I get that a lot." Before Nicholas could say anything else, there was a knocking at the front doors. Nicholas walked up to the door and opened it, seeing a city guard standing right outside.

"The Jarl requests your presence in Dragonsreach, as soon as possible." The Guard said to Nicholas, who looked at Aela.

"Go. We're done for the day. Go see what Balgruuf needs." Aela said with a nod. Nicholas nodded and turned away to follow the guard, leaving Aela with Kodlak and Skjor.

"The Dark Brotherhood is getting bold...To attack in broad daylight...The winds of change are upon us…" Aela murmured.

"They are upon us already Aela." Kodlak said while looking at the door Nicholas walked out of. "Dragons, the return of the Dark Brotherhood, and Nicholas...its not just a wind of change thats arriving, its a hurricane of new beginnings."


	8. So It Has Been Foretold

**Scattered By Destiny**

* * *

AN:

_JC785: Sup everyone, JC785 here with another chapter and another Authors Note. Soo...yeah sorry for the long wait. College has been a lot harder on me, and I've been dealing with issues at home too. Thats not important though._

_FlygonNick: I've been busy as well, working on finishing up "Jak IV: The Avenging Angels" and working on some stuff in development. Be on the lookout for a brand-new oneshot by me, out by the end of the week._

_Next chapter should be up fairly quickly. So no worries about delays or any of that nonsense._

_JC785: Shoutout to Dunka99, who was the only person to review last chapter, and all I'll say is that you shouldn't speak too soon._

_JC785 and FlygonNick: Enjoy the chapter!_

* * *

**Chapter 8: So It Has Been Foretold**

**By: JC785 &amp; FlygonNick**

* * *

Nicholas walked up the steps to Dragonsreach, still thinking hard about what happened moments ago. As he entered the castle, he already heard the rising voice of Irileth from the other end of the great hall.

"Do you simply mean to stand by and do nothing?! After what happened out there!" Irileth practically shouted.

"My Jarl, wait! We cannot simply send guards out to Falkreath Hold. Even if those assassins did retreat there, Jarl Siddgeir would take this as an act of provocation." Proventus tried to win the favor of Jarl Balgruuf.

"One of them is injured, we can still catch them!"

"We cannot risk a war between our two holds!"

"ENOUGH!" Jarl Balgruuf shouted, his voice echoing throughout the castle and silencing Irileth and Proventus. Everything around them stood in silence for a moment before Balgruuf spoke again. "Irileth, you are right. We can't in good mind let them escape for what they've done. But we cannot risk war….here is what we'll do." He first looked at Irileth. "I want 6 detachments of guard to follow where the assassins went. If they reach the border of out hold and Falkreath, then they are to stop there. Proventus.." Balgruuf then looked to his steward. "Send a messenger with the troops, for if they reach the border, the messenger will continue to Falkreath Hold, and let Jarl Siddgeir know what's happening."

Proventus and Irileth looked at each other before collectively sighing and looking back towards Jarl Balgruuf.

"That sounds reasonable." Irileth spoke first, then left to go send the troops.

"I would not send such a large force, but it is by your word Jarl." Proventus spoke, then bowed his head. "I shall send the messenger sire." He then walked towards the door, passing Nicholas. "Jarl Balgruuf would like to see you Nicholas."

"Thanks." Nicholas said, walking up to the throne.

The Jarl sighed and looked at Nicholas as he approached. "Politics and violence do not mix well Nicholas."

"I dunno, there's a few politicians back in my world I wouldn't mind stabbing in the shins."

"Why the shins?"

"Because, it's really inconvenient for them if they get stabbed there. Its not going to kill them, unless they bleed out, but it'll hurt like a mofo and keep them from walking for a while."

"...You think in odd ways."

"So I've been told. So, what did you need, sir?" Nicholas asked the Jarl, who looked at him for a moment before turning to his right.

"Farengar, bring forth the tablet!" Jarl Balgruuf called to the magician, who began walking out of his room, holding a massive stone tablet that was struggling to carry. Nicholas wondered why he didn't just use telekinesis or have a guard help him, but decided not to say anything until Farengar set the tablet on the dining table.

"You know you could have just had someone help you with that...Or levitated that with magic, right?" Nicholas asked Farengar, who swore under his breath.

"Never mind that. Take a look at the tablet we recovered and see if it makes any sense to you." Balgruuf said to Nicholas, who stepped forward to examine it.

It was an old, weathered chunk of stone that looked like it had been blasted from a wall, as the edges were jagged and rough. A large intricate picture decorated the tablet, depicting a massive black dragon soaring over in the air, flying out of a massive hole in the sky. The dragon was covered in wicked, spiked armor-like scales and breathing a massive blast of fire,

Nicholas felt a cold shudder roll down his spine as he took in the rest of the tablet. Several stars seemed to be shooting out of the vortex above the dragon, shooting off towards different parts of the land below the dragon. Nicholas had a feeling that he knew what was going on here.

"Does this mean anything to you?" Farengar asked Nicholas, who nodded.

"That dragon looks like the one that attacked my school. As for the stars...There's four large stars shooting out of the vortex, but on this...it looks like there's more stars coming out of it." Nicholas said, pointing to the tablet.

"Aela mentioned that when the vortex opened up, four streaks of colored light shot out of the vortex, with one of them going into Volunruud. However, she later reported that when she returned to the site, more lights shot out of the vortex before it closed completely." Farengar explained.

"Then that means...My way home is gone." Nicholas said slowly, feeling cold all over.

"Do not worry. We will find some way of getting you back to your home." Balgruuf said to the teen, who sighed deeply for a moment as he closed his eyes.

"What language is this?" Nicholas asked, pointing to the rough, faded script scribbled along the edges of the tablet.

"It is written in an ancient dialect of Nordic, spanning back almost a millennia. The language has changed since the time this tablet was written, so it will take some time to translate correctly." Farengar said to Nicholas.

"Can't you do a translation spell like you did for me?" Nicholas asked the wizard.

"Sadly, it doesn't work like that, as I can't obtain knowledge of the language from the tablet itself, since it's an inanimate object. However, I do know that more tablets like this do exist, as this is part of a set." Farengar said to Nicholas, who nodded.

"Looks like we need to find more of this dragon tablets. Any idea where to find more of these?" Nicholas asked Farengar, who shook his head.

"Farengar will continue to look for more information on the dragons and these tablets. It seems as as though you're coming here isn't just a coincidence. It was ordained a millennia ago." Balgruuf said slowly, causing Nicholas to shake his head in confusion.

"This makes no sense. How was all of this supposed to happen? We're not from this world...How can we be known before we even arrive?" Nicholas asked the two Nords, who exchanged a glance.

"The future and past are both beyond our grasp, young man. We can't know just how the ancients knew that a dragon would bring strangers to our world. We can only know that somehow, someway...They knew you would come." Balgruuf said to Nicholas, who looked away.

"This is weird...Really weird." Nicholas muttered.

"It is possible for Farengar to find more of these stones, but its possible this will be the only piece of the wall that we can find. If we do find the rest of the wall tablets, we can discern why you were sent here." Farenger said to Nicholas, who nodded.

"Can you use magic to find them?" Nicholas asked Farengar, who shrugged.

"Possibly. I can try, but there is no guarantee. Skyrim is a very large place, filled with all sorts of ancient magics."

"Well maybe I can help search for them!" Nicholas eagerly said.

"No, that would be unwise." Jarl Balgruuf said immediately.

"But Farengar just said Skyrim is a large place, it'd help with the extra support."

"Nicholas, you don't understand." Farengar started to explain. "Your experience with our land was only a fraction to what it actually was. What is where you would walk from one hold to the next in 10 minutes, it takes half a day, if more, to go that far. Plus, you are not trained enough, you need more time and preparation."

The logic made sense to Nicholas, even if he didn't like it all that much. "...Fair point. So what will you do then."

"I must research where the other tablets would be, but that will take a while."

"Oh, before I forget Farengar, I need you help." Nicholas said, remembering an earlier thought.

"I will be happy to assist you Nicholas. My Jarl, if you would excuse me." Farengar bowed before Balgruuf before walking back to his work area with Nicholas.

"So, what is it that you wanted to talk with me about?" Farengar asked Nicholas, who pulled out his spellbook.

"Earlier today, one of the assassin's used magic. He was able to conjure up walls of fire and fire lightning from his hands. Meanwhile, I can't do so much as cast a small flame." Nicholas said as he opened the book, flipping through the pages. He had studied the book extensively, he had tried focusing what was described as magicka.

"I see. And you wish to learn how to do that?"

"Well, more like just be able to cast anything in the first place. Or heal myself."

"Very well then, we'll start with healing then. Place your hand on the table." Farengar bent down to retrieve an item from the cabinet below.

"Ok then." Nicholas placed his hand down and waited a minute or so. "...so is something supposed to happen or…" Before Nicholas could finish speaking, Farengar quickly pulled an iron dagger out from the table and stabbed Nicholas in the hand with it.

"AAAAAGHHH! WHAT THE HELL DID YOU DO THAT FOR!?" Nicholas screamed as he tried pulling his hand free, only to realize his hand was now pinned to the table by the dagger.

"This is the first part we must do!" Farengar yelled over Nicholas howling bloody murder.

"YOU STUPID SON OF A BITCH!"

"If you would listen…"

"SCREW YOU AND LISTENING! YOU JUST STABBED ME!"

"You're the one who said that they wanted to learn how to heal wounds and use magic."

"THAT WAS BEFORE YOU STABBED ME!"

"...So, do you still want to learn or not?"

"I DON'T KNOW, ARE YOU GOING TO STAB ME AGAIN!?"

"Probably not….probably"

"That's reassuring..."

"...Was that sarcasm?"

"YOU STUPID ASSHOLE, YOU STABBED ME! HOW ELSE AM I SUPPOSED TO REPLY!?"

"With less screaming, I would hope."

"I'm so going to kick your ass, you cloak-wearing douche."

"I know not what this douche is, but I don't think it was pleasant."

"Its what you are...OK, so now that I've been brutally assaulted, what next? Are you going to shot me in the kneecaps?"

"Why would I do that?"

"YOU STABBED ME IN THE GODDAMN HAND!"

"Again with this. Would it help if I said that I was sorry?"

"IT'D HELP IF I COULD STAB YOU!"

Before Nicholas could say anything else, Farengar took the hilt of the dagger and yanked it out.

"GODDAMNIT, AGAIN WITH THE HAND KNIFE!" Nicholas howled, clutching the hand that was streaming blood even more profusely.

"Be quiet and focus now." Farengar said sternly. Nicholas glared at him for a moment before he took a breath.

"Ok, fine. Now what?"

"Invision a light in you mind. A light as warm as the sun, and as bright as the fire from a lamp." Farengar said calmly. Nicholas closed his eyes and tried to think of the light. As he focused more, his body relaxed.

"Good. Now, move the light that is in you towards your hand." As he said this, the light inside Nicholas's mind started to move, traveling through his body.

"Focus on that feeling. That tug in your mind and your body, and call your Magicka forth."

Suddenly, Nicholas felt something release, and he opened his eye to see his bloodied hand covered in a heavenly glow of pure light. The light surrounded his whole hand, and gave him a cleansing feeling. As the glow remained, he could see that his wound was healing rapidly, the wound sealing up and traces of blood on his skin removed. Once the process was complete, the light vanished, and Nicholas took a look at his hand. Any sign of the wound being there was gone, save for the light scar on both sides of his hand.

"And such is the power of magica…" Farengar said with his hands in front of him.

"Wow….oh by the way." Nicholas reeled his fist back, and punched Farengar in the dead center of his chest with all his strength. Something released inside Nicholas at that moment, like a powerful storm surging forward. When his fist connected with Farengar, a small surge of blue electricity suddenly burst out of his hand and coursed through Farengar, causing him to howl in agony as he fell to the ground.

"Be lucky I don't know how to summon ghost swords, otherwise I'd pin you to the wall by your balls." Nicholas said as Farengar got to his feet, rubbing his his chest with a look of pain on his face.

"That...that was impressive." Farengar muttered painfully.

"And now I'll be practicing it in my down time. Thanks."

"You're not welcome. If it wasn't for the fact that I can now research the dragons as much as I want, I'd trap your soul and throw you into the darkest pit I could find."

"Uh huh. Sure."

"What on earth is going on in here!?" Balgruuf yelled as he burst into the room, accompanied by three guards.

"We were practicing some magic." Farengar said to he Jarl.

"This jerk stabbed me in the hand, and so I punched him in the chest with electricity." Nicholas said smugly.

"I see...Well, please do as little damage as you can. I do need a court wizard still." Balgruuf said, and turned back towards his chair. Before he made it, he turned back towards Nicholas. "Oh, Nicholas, before I forget."

"I have an assignment for you…"


	9. Getting It Done

**Scattered By Destiny**

* * *

AN:

_JC785: Hey there everyone, JC785 here. So I kind want to apologize for the long wait again, but it's just gonna be a recurring thing, so there's really no point now. I can tell you though that in a few chapters, big things are gonna happen._

_On a different note, a few locations, like the horse stables, will be slightly modified in size. Nothing too big, just to accommodate for how things will run smoothly in the story. _

_FlygonNick: On the other hand, since I'm a productive member of this website and society in general, I'd like to announce that I will be publishing a brand new story this week on Fanfiction . net! It should be up by the end of the week, so be on the lookout for that! _

_JC785: Ladies and gentlemen, the review whore of the year, FlygonNick! Let's give him a round of applause everybody!_

_Shoutout to those who reviewed last chapter, including Dunka99, argo14, and CarriedCoin._

_JC785 &amp; FlygonNick: Enjoy the chapter!_

* * *

**Chapter 9: Getting It Done**

**By: JC785 &amp; FlygonNick**

* * *

A fireball exploded against the rock that Nicholas and Vilkas hid behind as a scream of fury pierced the woods. 3 Witches and a Hagraven were on an elevated hill and throwing magic at them non-stop. Nicholas had tried shooting them with his bow a few times, but could never get a shot before another fireball went his way. A series of smaller fireballs (apparently named firebolts), flew past the two warriors, who were hard-pressed to attack while the firebolts whizzed by.

"Man this is bulshit!" Nicholas shouted as he pulled another arrow out and readied it as the witches ran across the log bridge to attack them while the Hagraven watched from her mound.

Vilkas tried shooting an arrow after Nicholas, but got the same result. "Mind yourself youngblood, these kinds of tasks aren't easy."

"We can't even get a shot in though!" Nicholas stepped out of cover once more and shot another arrow. By some miracle, this one hit one of the Witches in the head. "...Ok, I stand corrected." He stepped back into cover. The witch snarled in pain, but somehow wasn't dead.

Because fuck logic.

Nicholas leapt from cover, firing off another arrow and nicking the Hagraven in the arm as it screamed at the two warriors. Nicholas took cover behind a tree as another massive fireball exploded against it. That Hagraven may be the bigger threat, but they couldn't get to it if the witches were around.

"Maybe we should take care of the witches?" Nicholas suggested, earning a nod from the older warrior, who leapt from cover and fired an arrow into the heart of a witch taking aim at him with a hand filled with ice. The arrow ripped through her robe, embedding itself into the woman's heart and killing her instantly, though that may have been the five arrows Nicholas had shot into her earlier.

"_People here take fatal injuries like champs."_ Nicholas thought as he notched an arrow and leapt from cover, firing at an nordic witch who yelled at "You're a disgrace to your own kind!"

"You mean humans? By fighting witches? You have no idea what you're talking about, do you?" Nicholas asked as he let the arrow fly, catching the woman in the arm. The woman hurled a bolt of lightning at Nicholas, who screamed in pain as the electricity surged through him. Nicholas managed to stumble forward as the woman charged at him with an iron dagger, blocking the blade with his bow and bashing her in the face with it, breaking her nose. Nicholas dropped to the ground on one knee and notched another arrow, firing it directly into the woman's face.

"Boom! Headshot!" Nicholas yelled as the woman tumbled to the ground.

"There we go!" Vilkas yelled before a fireball exploded at his feet, sending him flying backwards.

"Vilkas!" Nicholas yelled before a streak of lightning rushed past him. Nicholas turned around and fired another arrow, missing the final witch completely as she hid behind a fallen log. Nicholas smirked and channelled a bit of fire into his hand, focusing on the lesson Farengar had taught him before (the one's that didn't involve being stabbed), and fired a stream of flames at the log, catching it ablaze instantly.

"Agh! Noooo!" the witch screamed, trying to pat down her robes as she stumbled out of cover in time to catch an arrow to the throat, putting her down for good.

"Lets hope the gods favor you a bit more youngblood." Vilkas said with a small smile as he sheathed his bow and drew his sword. "For honor!" He shouted and leaped from cover. Nicholas sighed, putting away his bow and drawing his iron sword and getting his shield.

"Crap crap crap!" Nicholas said as he charged forward with Vilkas.

"_How did I get myself in this situation?_" He thought as a fireball flew by him.

* * *

_Hours Earlier:_

"You've got an assignment for me?" Nicholas said as he approached the Jarl's throne.

"Yes. Danica, you may come forward." Jarl Balgruuf said with a beckoning gesture. Nicholas turned around and saw the Kynareth healer walk forward.

"Ah, Nicholas, it is a pleasure to see you again." Danica said as she bowed before him. Nicholas was a bit surprised at her bowing before him, but he just smiled.

"Its nice to see you too. And you don't have to bow by the way, I'm just a person, not a god." Nicholas said and stood next to Danica before Balgruuf spoke again.

"You're already acquainted?" Balgruuf said, raising an amused eyebrow.

"Yeah, I met her when I was exploring the city for a while. She told me about the Gildergreen tree." Nicholas explained with a nod.

"Ah, this is good then." the Jarl said with a nod.

"Wait, why?" Nicholas asked the older man.

"Because the tree is why I came to the Jarl." Danica said. "It used to be a symbol of our city, next to Dragonsreach. But it is dying."

"What can I do about it then? I can't exactly talk to the tree." Nicholas said jokingly as the two Nords looked at him oddly. "...I can't right? Because if so, that'd be kind of awesome. And weird. But mostly awesome...And mostly weird."

"No, but you can present the Gildergreen with a gift. A piece of the Eldergleam Tree, the mother tree." Danica said to Nicholas, who looked confused.

"The mother tree?" Nicholas asked the priest.

"Yes. The Gildergreen was born from a branch of the Eldergleam. It has been too long though since the branches were taken. It is possible to restore the tree with a sapling from the Eldergleam. But…" Danica said with a hint of nervousness.

"But…"Nicholas raised his eyebrow.

"A tool is needed to gather the sapling, Nettlebane. At this time, it is in the hands of a Hagraven and its coven of witches. They will not part with the tool peacefully, either."

"...Lovely...just lovely." Nicholas sighed with a hint of annoyance.

"I never said it would be easy."

"No, but you never said it was in the hands of a magical birdwoman and her entourage of witches."

"Nicholas, Danica is right." Jarl Balgruuf said finally. "The tasks you receive from myself and the Companions will never be easy. They will test your mental and physical strength and train you to become a true warrior."

Nicholas was quiet for a few moment. "I get your point. Just...didn't expect to be going up against witches and a Hagraven. I mean I'm getting better, but that's high level magic. I literally just figured it out about two minutes ago. I'm kind of out of my league here, Jarl."

"Not alone you won't be. I've talked to Kodlak, and he agrees with me that you shall have a Shield-Brother for your first assignment from me. Together, this task should not be too difficult." Jarl Balgruuf explained to the teen, who nodded after a moment.

"Ok, thats not so bad. Who's going along with me?" Nicholas asked as he crossed his arms.

"That'd be me whelp." Nicholas turned around to the voice behind him and saw Vilkas walking up the steps.

"Oh, cool." Nicholas said with a small smile as Vilkas stopped next to him.

"Vilkas volunteered for the quest to fight alongside you. Now, while this indeed helps Whiterun hold, it is also a test of my own. You have lived in this city for a short while, and have become a Companion and have trained amongst their warriors. You also have a special lineage...Therefore, I may have to call upon you from time to time, and i want to make sure you're ready to handle what tasks may need to be done."

"So this is a test, too." Nicholas realized, earning a nod from the Jarl.

"Yes. Hopefully, you will not disappoint, but instead, will become a stronger warrior." Balgruuf gave Nicholas a small smile and a nod of the head.

"C'mon welp, we need to get moving while we've got daylight." Vilkas turned around and walked to the gigantic doors, with Nicholas now trailing behind him. The pair walked through the village and out the main gate. As they approached the horse stables, two farmers moved quickly up the path with a third farmer on a makeshift stretcher groaned in pain, with an arrow sticking into his knee.

"What happened to him?" Nicholas asked with concern.

"There we were, farming and minding our own business, when an arrow comes out of nowhere and impales into our brother's knee." The lead farmer said.

"I'm telling you, it came from over the city wall." The farmer in the back said.

"Just get me to a healer!" The arrow knee farmer cried out. The farmer brothers moved up the path again with the injured farmer wailing and crying. Nicholas had a guilty look on his face, which Vilkas catched onto.

"You wouldn't happen to know anything about that, would you welp?" Vilkas questioned.

"Nope, nothing at all." Nicholas said a bit too quickly. "Oh look at that, horses!"

The horse stabled were quite larger than the ones that Nicholas remember from the game. Instead of 2 stalls, there were 6, with some extra help tending to some of them. Vilkas approached the stable master, Skulvar Sable-Hilt, and got his attention.

"Hey, Skulvar. You got those horses ready?" Vilkas said.

"Yeah, its the 2 on the right end." Skulvar replied.

"Thanks." Vilkas and Nicholas walked to the end of the stable, and approached the horses. Vilkas got on a tan horse with a white mane, while Nicholas got on his, which was a black horse with a white mane as well. The two warriors urged their horses onwards, and began the long journey to Orphan Rock.

* * *

_Present:_

Vilkas sidestepped a firebolt and sprinted across a fallen tree, jumping to large mound where the monster had made her home. He quickly lashed out with his blade, stabbing the Hagraven in the chest. The creature howled in pain before letting loose a stream of orange and red flames, causing the warrior to back off and take cover.

"Die, little dogs! Burn at my touch!" the Hagraven crowed with horrible glee.

"OI! Over here!"

The Hagraven whirled around to get a knee to the face, followed up by a armored fist to the gut, courtesy of the newest member of the Companions. Nicholas rolled underneath a slash from the deadly talons of the magical bird-thingy and pointed the sword at the Hagraven's throat.

"Make my day..." Nicholas hissed as the Hagraven smiled coyly at him, which confused him for a moment.

"Wait, it-" Vilkas began to say before the Hagraven fired a blast of flames at Nicholas's feet, sending him stumbling backwards with a swear. Vilkas rushed out from his cover with a battle cry while Nicholas regained his footing and recovered, joining his fellow Companion.

"Today you shall die!" the Hagraven growled as she fired a stream of flames from both hands. Vilkas grit his teeth in pain as he tried to brush the flames aside with his sword while Nicholas charged through the fire, holding his shield up to block the brunt of it. The Hagraven let out a squawk of horror before Nicholas bashed it in the face with his shield as hard as he could. Using the momentum he had, he spun around and delivered a slash to the neck of the Hagraven, decapitating it and sending its head flying into the air.

"Well...That sucked." Nicholas said as he watched the head fly through the air and land on the ground. Nicholas took a deep breath, channelled the magicka within him, and fired a bolt of lightning at the head, sending the charred cranium careening through the chasm.

Alliteration, bitches.

Nicholas felt a cold pang of...something inside of him, causing him to stagger forward and brace himself against a tree, his vision swimming and blurring. He felt weak, as if he couldn't catch his breath. He closed his eyes for a moment, and slowly but surely he began to feel himself get better, though the pain still jarred him

"What...happened to me? What is this?" Nicholas coughed as Vilkas walked over to him, eyeing him with concern.

"I've heard tales of young magicians overstraining themselves and casting more magic than they can use. I expect you pushed yourself too hard too quickly." Vilkas noted. Nicholas flexed his hands for a moment, feeling himself return mostly to normal. He took a few moments to relax before casting a healing spell on his burns and scrapes. He felt the sensation return, causing him to slump against the tree with a groan before he felt his magicka return about a minute later.

"Yeah...This is definitely going to be a game-changer." Nicholas said with a small smile as he caught his breath.

"I agree. Magic has its uses, but I'd rather not be hit with flames from some abomination of nature. I will say though...You fought well." Vilkas said with a smile of approval. Nicholas grinned back at his Shield-Brother before turning around to the body of the witch, spotting a bag on her hip.

"I wonder if she had anything of use? What's Skyrim's policy on looting bodies?" Nicholas asked Vilkas.

"The items of the slain, in righteous combat, go to the victor. There are some exceptions, but for the most part its free game." Vilkas said with an amused smile as Nicholas promptly the ripped bag free from the Hagraven's body and opened it up.

"50 Septums, a few Hagraven feathers, and a small little soul gem. Not bad." Nicholas remarked, putting them in his own bag.

"Find the dagger we came to retrieve. I'll keep a lookout." Vilkas said as he sheathed his sword, drawing a bow and notching a steel arrow.

"Gotcha." Nicholas sheathed his own sword and walked forward to the tent of the cliff. As he approached, the smell of rotting flesh hit his nose. Nicholas pinched his nose and walked forward and into the tent. Inside was a chemistry table, and a large chest off to the side. He decided to inspect the chest first, but as he approached it, the smell got stronger. Nicholas finally opened it after a moment, but was forced outside by the rotting smell that increased tenfold. "Oh shit!" He cried out.

"Welp, what's going on?!" Vilkas shouted while running forward.

"I..its fu...there's fucking _hearts_ in there…." Suddenly, Nicholas lurched onto his knees and heaved out the meal he had earlier that day. Vilkas walked to the chest and opened it, only to be hit by the same smell.

"Hagravens...the blasted things don't know how to preserve ingredients." Vilkas said, wincing at the smell.

"Wait, ingredients? Why did you say ingredients?" Nicholas asked, getting up onto his feet.

"Because whelp, hearts are used in some potions." Vilkas said to the young warrior.

At that, Nicholas was left speechless with his mouth agape. Vilkas just looked at him for a moment before he rolled his eyes and spoke again. "You gonna keep standing there, or are you gonna get the dagger."

"How are you calm about this?!" Nicholas nearly shouted.

"Because, this is a way of life for us."

"To keep hearts in fucking chests?! They belong in a freaking body." Nicholas said furiously.

"Look, just get the damn dagger whelp. I'll explain on our way back." Vilkas turned back and walked down the hill to retrieve the horses. Nicholas looked back at the chest with a revolted expression and flipped it open, taking a few steps back to let the smell air out. After a few moments he walked forward and snatched up a small black dagger that matched the description of the one Danica had told him about. Nicholas also picked 100 Septums, and a up a pair of steel-plated gauntlets that glowed red faintly for a moment before returning to their normal color. He put them in his bag, making mental note to ask Aela or Eurlond Grey-Mane about it later.

Nicholas quickly looked around for anything else of use before walking across the tree to the ground below, making sure to search the bodies of the Witches for anything useful. Nicholas strapped on a few extra iron daggers he found, as well as a few assorted alchemy ingredients, inside his bag for later. He found Vilkas standing nearby with two horses next to him.

"We'll need to ride hard and fast so we can make it back to Whiterun by morning. Once we rest up a bit, we can make a ride to wherever that Eldergleam Tree is." Vilkas said with a small growl in his voice, looking up at the full moon overhead with a shudder.

"Hey, you OK?" Nicholas asked the warrior, who nodded after a moment.

"I'll be fine. Just...Tired." Vilkas said with a hint of annoyance. "Listen welp, do you remember the way we came?"

Nicholas looked back at Vilkas with a confused look. "Yeah, why?"

"Ride back to Whiterun, there's something I need to take care of." Vilkas stopped his horse and walked it off the path.

"Vilkas, what's going…" Before Nicholas could finish, a low growl started to come from Vilkas's throat, as he looked at Nicholas with a primal look in his eyes.

"Ride. Back. Now!" Vilkas shouted with fury as he marched off into the forest.

Nicholas only stared at the retreating form of Vilkas for a moment, before he turned back around and galloped his horse forward. In the weeks that he had been with the Companions, Nicholas had not seen this side of Vilkas, and had no idea what was troubling him. But far be it to question the motives of an angry Nord at that time.

As Nicholas approached the gate of Riverwood, a sound echoed through the night world. The low but loud noise of a wolf. The horse neighed softly at the sound, but Nicholas soothed the gentle creature, and continued through, back to Whiterun.


	10. A New Life

**Scattered By Destiny**

* * *

_AN:_

_JC785: Hello there fellow readers and reviewers, JC785 here. I hope you enjoyed the last chapter. I think I finally have an update schedule...or something close to resembling one. Basically, you can expect a chapter before the one month mark of the last chapter._

_FlygonNick: This is also where we begin to introduce elements of the story that diverge from the path you all know and love. How and why? You shall see, but it's an interesting twist on things and will explained...OR WILL IT?_

_Shoutout to reviwers from last chapter: DatAwesomeBro, Dunka99, Guest, and Drem yol lok Odahviing. _

_JC785 &amp; FlygonNick: Enjoy the Chapter!_

* * *

**Chapter 10: A New Life**

**By: JC785 and FlygonNick**

* * *

"My word Nicholas, you have it!" Danica said in awe of Nettlebane before her.

Nicholas had returned to Whiterun the night before, and decided to retire for the night. By the time morning came, Vilkas had still not returned after disappearing the night before. Nicholas asked Kodlak about Vilkas's behavior, but Kodlak didn't say anything to that, just saying that it wasn't nothing to worry about and that the warrior would return soon enough. Eventually, Nicholas decided to go to the Temple of Kynareth by himself and show Danica the tool.

"Yeah, wasn't easy getting it either." Nicholas said, remembering getting burned by the stu.

"Oh no doubt. But your actions were not for naught. The only thing you must do now is travel to the Eldergleam Sanctuary. There, you can gather the sap from the Eldergleam with Nettlebane."

"Wouldn't you want to do it Danica? This seems like something big for someone like you." Nicholas held Nettlebane out to her. Danica only backed up from the tool as it was held to her.

"I would...but the tool has been tainted by the hagraven. I'm will not touch the foul thing now."

"Foul thing...umm..ok?"

"Please trust me on this Nicholas, it is much more doing with faith than it is physical."

"Its alright, I gotcha." Nicholas said, and Danica smiled at him.

"Thank you Nicholas, this will please Kynareth so, and will bring a sense of life to the town once more." Danica said to Nicholas, who nodded and put the dagger to his belt. He needed to let Kodlak know of his intention to head out to the Eldergleam Sanctuary and retrieve the sacred sapling. He debated asking one of the Companions for help, but realized they were probably too busy for him at the moment.

"I'll be back soon." Nicholas said to the priest, who nodded and bid goodbye to the strange young warrior who had made Whiterun his home.

"Alright, so first thing's first. Jorrvaskr. I could probably do with finishing up that Spark spellbook that Kodlak found for me the other day, too, before I head out. Not like the tree isn't going to be any deader." Nicholas muttered as he made his way to the home of the Companions, nodding to a Whiterun Guard as he walked by. Nicholas made his way into the boathouse and walked into his room. He quickly opened his chest, sat down on his bed, and poured over the Spellbook for the Sparks spell. He had sort of attempted it when he punched Farengar in the chest, but now he needed to truly learn the spell. If he could master this spell, then he would be one step closer to being strong enough to find his friends.

He wondered how they were doing...if they were safe. He wondered how his family was doing? If they were OK.

Nicholas sighed before the book in front of him burst into flames and materialized into ash, and then nothingness. Nicholas took in a deep breath and focused on his magicka before two sparks danced between his pointer finger and his thumb. Nicholas aimed his hand at the far wall and fired an arc of lightning at the wall for a moment before ceasing the attack, allowing his magicka to regenerate.

"So that's done. Now to go see Eorlund Grey-Mane about these gauntlets."

Nicholas walked out of Jorrvaskr and up to the Skyforge. As he walked up the stairs, he could hear the sounds of metal banging on metal. He reached the final step and saw Eorlund working on the gauntlets that he had come up here for. Eorlund turned and saw Nicholas, to which he gave a small smile.

"Ah, Nicholas, good thing you're here. I just finished the gauntlets you asked for." Eorlund said, picking the gauntlets up off the table. He then handed them to Nicholas who tried them on. "What do you think?"

"They feel amazing. So this is Skyforge Steel that you're always talking about." Nicholas said while looking at the impressive hand protectors.

"Indeed it is. While it doesn't compare to Ebony or Dragonbone, Skyforge Steel is still excellent for a novice like yourself."

"...Can't really tell if that was an insult or compliment, but whatever. Thanks for the gauntlets Eorlund!" Nicholas said as he walked back down the stairs and into Jorrvaskr. He went down to his bunk and started packing a traveling bag with his notebook, food, and other essentials.

"Well, that's about everything." Nicholas grabbed his bag and walked back upstairs. When he came up, Aela was in the main room sitting down with some food. She turned her head to him and smiled.

"Hey there Nicholas. Where are you off to?" Aela asked as she finished her food.

"I'm going on a quest to the Eldergleam Sanctuary. Its gonna take a few days though, so thats gonna be fun," Nicholas said with a shrug.

"Care for some company, whelp? It's been too long since I got to go on a proper quest." Aela said to the young man, who smirked.

"Sure thing. Vilkas is still MIA, and it's always awesome to hang with my favorite Shield-Sister for the day. Let's roll...unless you need to do any prepping of your own?" Nicholas asked the Companion, who shook her head and patted the enchanted bag at her waist.

"All taken care of. I always pack a bag just in case I have to leave for a job right away." Aela explained to Nicholas, who smiled slightly. That was a good habit he needed to pick up. You never know when something like that would be handy one day.

"Alright then, lets go." Nicholas opened the door and Aela quickly followed behind. When they got outside, there was a man in front of Nicholas.

"Excuse me, young warrior," the man, a young looking Breton in simple clothing, said to him. "I couldn't help but overhear you are making a pilgrimage to the Eldergleam Sanctuary earlier with Danica?"

"Yeah, what about it?" Nicholas asked the man, resting a hand on the dagger strapped to his waist..

"First, let me introduce myself. I am Maurice Jondrelle, a simple traveler and follower of Kynareth. I've come from High Rock to gaze upon the beauty of the Eldergleam, and pay homage to its glory. I am unfamiliar with this land however, and I am certainly no fighter. I was wondering if you would allow me to journey with you?" Maurice said with grace.

Nicholas looked at him, then directed his attention to Aela. "What do you think? I don't know the whole policy on tag-alongs with quests."

"Well, since Companions never turn from a cry of help, I see no harm in him joining." Aela said with a nod.

"Alright then, come on Maurice." Nicholas waved his hand towards the Breton.

"Thank you Companions, may Kynareth give you blessing on your journeys hereforward." Maurice said with a wide smile on his face. With a new member in tow, the Companions made their way out of Whiterun.

The three rented horses from the Whiterun Stables with some of the Companion's funds. Even on horseback, the trip still took 3 days around the tallest mountain in Tamriel, which Aela told Nicholas about on the trip. She told him of how another goddess, Kyne, gave life to men at the Throat of The World. Nicholas listened with curiosity, as he was still getting history lessons from Kodlak and Farengar. The history of this world was infinitely more interesting than the history of his own world, but probably because their was more magic and monsters involved with this one.

The trio passed through Ivarstead on their way, restocking on some food and giving the horses rest for a bit. After another day, they had finally reached to entrance to the Eldergleam Sanctuary early in the morning of the 3rd day.

"Well its about time. Riding on a horse for 3 days doesn't do well for the crotch...Still, its better than being in a damn car," Nicholas said as he grimaced a bit while walking.

"Oh don't complain welp, it was better than walking here for a full week," Aela said with a smirk.

"Friends, lets go! The beauty of Kynareth waits for us!" Maurice said running forward into the cave entrance. Nicholas and Aela trailed behind quickly, and stopped when the reached the opening to the grotto. The trio made their way inside the cave, but they stopped a short distance into the cave at the sight of something incredible.

"Wow, this place is huge..." Nicholas said as he eyed the beautiful grotto. The roaming green flats of land, the colorful flowers decorating the area, and the gigantic tree which gives the cave its name, the Eldergleam.

"Incredible...such beauty in an area, bestowed by Kynareth herself..." Maurice said in in pure awe His eyes were gleaming in excitement and joy, like a child.

"It is rather impressive," Aela said as she walked behind the two, eyeing the beautiful grotto with a small smile on her face.

They weren't the only ones in the grotto as well. Other travelers were in the fields of grass, either on their knees praying, or moving around to feel the nature. The trio quietly moved past them and moved up the path to the Eldergleam. The path itself was comprised of roots from the trees, one root so large that it blocked the path.

"We can try climbing over this." Aela suggested as Nicholas walked up to the roots, examining the, for a moment.

"That...or this!" Nicholas pulled out Nettlebane and slashed at the root. Right as he did that, the root curled up and moved out of the path.

"What are you doing!?" Maurice shouted at Nicholas as he strode post the root .

"What? Danica said Nettlebane would help us get the sapling, this is helping, dude," Nicholas replied as he slashed the next large root.

"Stop! You're hurting the Eldergleam!" Maurice shouted once more.

"Relax, we're here now." Nicholas said as they finally reached the tree. Nicholas walked forward with Nettlebane, but was suddenly held back by Maurice.

"Nicholas, wait! I know of a way to get the sapling, without harming the Eldergleam!" Maurice said to the young warrior, who looked at the priest skeptically.

"How are you gonna get it without Nettlebane?" Nicholas asked the man, who looked back at the large tree for a moment before he looked Nicholas in the eyes.

"Watch." Maurice let go of Nicholas and walked forward to the tree. He then got on his knees and began to pray.

"_Blessed mother of nature, Kynareth. I come to you as a humble servant of your word, asking for your help. The Gildergreen is dying, its leaves all but gone, its bark old and brittle. With a sapling from the great Eldergleam, the Gildergreen can be restored to its former glory. Please, help to restore a piece of your beautiful nature."_

A few seconds of silence followed before the ground in front of Maurice shifted, and a small sapling rose from the ground on a root. Maurice gently picked up the sapling and brought it to Nicholas. "That, is how we get the sapling without Nettlebane."

"Ok, that was indeed impressive, Breton." Aela said with admiration.

"Yeah, it was." Nicholas said with a smile. "Thanks Maurice, glad we brought you along."

Nicholas took the sapling from Maurice and placed it in his pack. As the 3 turned around and started walk down the hillside, Nicholas in front and quietly cursing all of the roots blocking his path.

"I can barely walk with all of these-shit!" Nicholas yelped as he tripped over a root, causing him to go falling towards the ground. His lantern went flying out of his hand and smashed into the Gildergreen Tree above them, showering the tree with glass, oil, and fire.

"NO! You fool!" Maurice yelled out, horrified as the entire chamber began to shake. Screams erupted through the cavern as strange creatures suddenly emerged from the ground. They looked humanoid, except that they were made out of wood and covered in a large amount of insects that buzzed furiously.

"Spriggans!" Aela hissed as two of the creatures appeared behind them. Nicholas moved in front of Maurice, who was shaking his head in horror. The Spriggans that had appeared in the beginning of the cavern effortlessly took down the people who had been in the cavern before them, splattering blood all over the grass.

"Not good!" Nicholas muttered as he pointed his sword at the advancing Spriggans, who buzzed even angrier at the young warrior. Nicholas rushed at the creature and slashed at it, raking his blade across the chest of the Spriggan before he jumped out of range of the wood creature's claws, though the Spriggan advanced closer regardless and continued to slash at Nicholas.

Aela stuck close to Maurice and tried to protect him from the Spriggans, but he ran away from her and flung himself onto the ground next to the Eldergleam Tree.

"Maurice, stay there!" Nicholas yelled as he kept slashing the the Spriggan. Maurice hugged the back of the tree, but he felt a root moving around his legs suddenly. Maurice tried tugging at them, but his arms were brought back by more roots, pinning him to the Eldergleam. "Nicholas, help!"

Nicholas whirled around and ran towards Maurice, only to find his legs ensnared by the roots as well. He glanced behind him and saw the Spriggan he had been fighting with advance slowly towards him, so he raised his shield to block the inevitable slash that would end him.

"Nicholas! Maurice!" Aela yelled out, frantically fighting off three Spriggans at once. While she was winning, her Shield-Brother would fall before she could get chance to help him.

Nicholas tried freeing Maurice's arms while trying to get his own legs free. It wasn't working though, the roots kept wrapping themselves around Maurice, growing ever tighter. Maurice let out a cry of pain at this.

"Maurice, any ideas?!" Nicholas yelled as he started to hack at the roots around his legs with his sword. The Breton was panicking with no hopes of escape, but then, he stopped and started to speak.

"_Kynareth, creator of nature. Please spare us from the wrath that you send to us. Innocents die, and the ground here gets tainted with blood every second your rage continues. Please, I beg for your mercy and forgiveness!_"

The Spriggans rushed forward at once, disarming Aela and knocking her to the ground, despite them all being broken apart and barely standing. But before another blow could be struck, the Spriggans disappeared, the bark falling to the ground and the insects flying away, while Aela watched on in awe. The roots slowly unwrapped themselves from Nicholas and Maurice, who collapsed to his knees. As Nicholas went to help Maurice, a new voice sounded through the grotto. No more than a whisper that brushed against the minds of the three that were intruding upon its Sanctuary.

"_Leave…..now…."_

Silence hung in the air after that, with Aela picking herself up, and Nicholas holding up Maurice on his shoulders. The trio walked out of the cave, passing by bodies of worshipers that had met a terrible fate all too soon. When they finally exited the cave, they each got back on a horse, and began riding again. The trip back was filled with silence, only a few words spoken. It took almost 2 days, before the trio arrived close to the village of Riverwood.

"Maybe we should stop in Riverwood for the night? I wouldn't mind a bit of shuteye after that crapfest back in the Eldergleam cave...though even if I'm in a bed, it won't stop the nightmares from that tree," Nicholas remarked as they approached the town.

"I wouldn't be opposed to it. I-" Maurice began to say before a bright red flash illuminated the path in front of them. Each of their horses neighed and reared up, forcing all 3 of them off. The horses retreated into the night, but Nicholas and Aela didn't try to retrieve them, but instead watched as the path in front of and behind them burst into flames, cutting their escape routes off. The two Companions got around Maurice to protect him from the unknown assailant.

"Thought you could escape the wrath of Sithis, now, did you?" a familiar old man's voice cackled. Nicholas recognized it, but he couldn't figure out where.

"Who are you!? Show yourself!" Aela barked as she drew her bow, carefully notching an arrow while Nicholas drew his sword and drew upon his magicka in his free hand. Maurice stood behind them, watching the red glow warily.

"My name? I suppose I can indulge you whippersnappers a bit. I am Festus Krex, magician and assassin of the Dark brotherhood. I believe we met the other day," the man chuckled as he materialized in front of the two warriors. He stood at about Aela's height, and was a bald and wrinkled old man clad in a black and red robe sort of outfit with a hand emblem on the front.

"Begone, assassin. You don't want to meddle with the affairs of the Companions," Aela growled at the magician, who smirked.

"Maybe, maybe not. But I do believe I owe you two a proper fight. The other day, I was simply training a new recruit. Now that I am free...perhaps we can settle things for good?" The old man said with a chuckle.

"Why bother? You have no reason to fight us. Besides, you're outnumbered," Nicholas said to the man as he drew his sword.

"Maybe I am, maybe I'm not. Your untrained eye sees nothing!" Festus said with a cackle.

"Leave now, old man! Before I pin you to these trees with my arrows!" Aela hissed at the assassin, who grinned horribly.

"You see…while we may not have a contract for your life…" Festus said as he raised a hand, only for two shadows to jump out from behind two trees and rush Nicholas and Aela from the sides. Two men garbed in black leather armor and holding weapons, one had a wooden longbow and the other a steel battleaxe.

"That doesn't mean we can take a bit of initiative, and take out a threat to us," Festus said as he held out his hand as it glowed bright orange, a single iron dagger held in his palm. The dagger suddenly jerked into the air and burst into flame before it was sent hurtling through the air and into the forehead of Maurice, who fell backwards as a stream of crimson trailed down his face.

As this happened, Nicholas ducked under the swing of the larger assassin's battleaxe and slashed at his back before kicking him away as hard as he could. Aela easily dodged an arrow and fired one of her own at the assassin archer, nicking him in the upper arm. Both Companions watched as Maurice fell to the ground and remained still.

"No! Maurice! You…bastards!" Nicholas yelled held out his hand and fired a stream of flames at Festus, who held up his hand with a bored expression. A shimmering aqua-colored force-field materialized out of thin air, intercepting and blocking the attack. Nicholas lowered his hand and charged at the wizard with his sword raised as the two other assassins rushed Aela, who let out a bark-like laugh.

"Let me beat you idiots like the dogs that you are!" Aela snarled as she fired an arrow at the axe assassin, who deflected it with a gold-colored shield he pulled off his back. The second arrow she fired, showever, caught the man in the shoulder, causing him to yell out in pain.

Nicholas ran at Festus and swung downwards, but the assassin simply dodged the flash and fired an arc of lightning at the teen, who took the bolt directly but slammed his shield into the man's chest, sending him stumbling backwards. Nicholas shook off the lightning, thankful it wasn't a strong one like last time, and charged at the wizard again.

Festus sidestepped another slash from Nicholas and thrust out his hand, creating a blast of air that slammed into Nicholas and sent him skidding back several feet, though he managed to stay standing. Festus then held out his hand, creating a shimmering purple sword made of flames in his hand.

"Shame. I was hoping that wind-blast spell would tear you to ribbons. I guess I still have a few kinks to work out, hmm?" Festus said as he levelled the sword at Nicholas's chest while the teen grinned back at him.

"Come on, old man. Show me what you've got!" Nicholas said as he rushed forward, slashing at the man's chest. Festus blocked the slash and held out his free hand, which burst into flame. Nicholas broke away from the magician and dove to the side as the old man hurled a massive fireball towards him, which exploded against the mountain behind them. Nicholas rolled into a crouch and ran at the magician again, stabbing at his chest while the man prepared to fire another ball of flames. As the blade touched Festus, he suddenly exploded in a wreath of shadows.

"What the hell? Is this even in the game!?" Nicholas demanded furiously as the old man appeared from the side, snapping his fingers and creating a purple flaming bow. Festus notched an arrow and took a moment to aim before firing it, catching Nicholas in the shoulder.

"Ha! Magic at its finest!" Festus laughed as he notched another arrow, firing at Nicholas. The teen gripped his sword tightly and managed to block the arrow with his sword before sprinting at Festus once again. Festus blinked in surprise and dispelled the bow, but didn't have time to block the slash that Nicholas sent his way, ripping open his robes and spilling blood on the ground. Festus staggered backwards with a groan, sending a burst of ice at Nicholas who was blasted off of his feet and sent to the ground.

"Blasted kids…" Festus grumbled as his hands glowed bright orange over the wound, which began to quickly seal up. Nicholas got to his feet, ignoring the cold and shutting out the pain in his shoulder before he rushed forward once more.

Aela dodged another arrow shot from the smaller assassin and drew an iron dagger as the larger one advanced towards her. The man swung the axe again and again, forcing Aela to back off and to stay out of range while trying to avoid the arrows. The man then lunged forward, bashing the shaft of the weapon against Aela's shield and stunning her before he swung his axe.

Aela leaned backwards, catching a glancing hit against her arm from the axe, before she swiftly kicked the assassin in the chest, sending him stumbling backwards and into the line of fire of the archer assassin, who accidentally shot his partner with an arrow in the shoulder.

"_Now's my chance!" _Aela thought as she prepared herself to finish this and help out her Shield-Brother, who was still battling the wizard known as Festus.

Aela then sped forward, stabbing the man in the chest and yanking out the blade as she slipped behind him, stabbing him in the back. The man spun around and punched her in the face, breaking her nose before he fell to one knee, coughing up as blood.

"No! You little bitch!" the other assassin yelled as he fired arrow after arrow at the Companion, who smirked and easily dodged the projectiles. Aela switched to her own bow, but instead of shooting the archer assassin, she stepped on the back of the assassin she had injured and fired an arrow into his skull at point-blank range, killing him instantly.

Nicholas and Festus continued to battle back and forth, taking and dishing out blows in a ferocious display of magic and swordsmanship. While Nicholas had been the better fighter, Festus could heal his wounds instantly and could incredibly strong magic. However, the fight was more or less even, as Festus was tiring and had no armor to protect him to Nicholas's sword when he did land a blow on him.

Nicholas ducked under a slash from the conjured blade and kicked Festus in the chest, sending him to the ground, but not before the wizard cast a spell that sent Nicholas flying through the air and into a tree. The wizard slowly got to his feet, even as Nicholas crashed onto the ground, shaking in pain. To Festus's amazement, the teen then began to rise, albeit facing the other way and hunched over.

"You'd make an incredible assassin for us, young man. Its a shame I have to kill you," Festus said with a small smile as spark of lightning danced between his fingertips. The wizard fired a bolt at Nicholas, who dropped to the ground as he spun around and pulled out his bow, ready to fire. The teen's teeth were bared in a snarl as he fired an arrow into the chest of the wizard, who howled in pain as he fell against a tree. Festus sent a firebolt at the teen Nicholas, causing him to yell out as the ball of fire exploded against his armor, sending a burst of pain through his chest.

Aela continued to trade shots with the assassin archer, and was quickly growing annoyed. She had received several scrapes and cuts from the archer, who had four arrows stuck in various parts of his body. He was trying to keep out of sight, which Aela would not allow him to do.

"Come out and fight like a man!" Aela barked at the man, causing him to step out from behind a tree and shoot an arrow at Aela. The Companion sidestepped it effortlessly and shot the man between the eyes. The man stumbled backwards, trying to notch another arrow, but he fumbled with it for a moment before he fell forward. The man didn't get back up again.

"Now...to deal with the wizard," Aela said with a pant, limping towards the other fight.

Nicholas blocked a fireball with his shield, hissing as the flames burned him regardless of him blocking the attack, and rushed at Festus as the wizard swung his hand downwards. A arc of lightning flew out from his hand, but Nicholas leapt over it and slashed at the wizard, slashing at his chest and spraying blood through the air. Festus curled his hand into a fist and punched Nicholas in the chest, sending him flying through the air as a gust of wind smashed into him.

"I can't keep this up...He's getting too many hits in…" Festus growled as he healed the wound again, his robes slashed apart and drenched in blood. He saw that the female Companion was making her way towards him, and saw just past her his two brothers lying on the ground dead. Nicholas got to his feet, panting heavily but ready to keep fighting/

"You…you have not seen the last of the Dark Brotherhood…We shall return…" Festus said coldly as he held his hand out and snapped his hands, vanishing in a black burst of flames.

"…what the hell was that about?" Nicholas panted as he fell to one knee. Aela rushed forward and caught the teen as the world swam around him. Nicholas felt Aela set him down gently on the ground and pull something from her bag, a large red bottle of healing potion.

"Sit up and drink it. It'll heal what he did to you," Aela said in a low voice, placing the bottle to Nicholas's lips. Nicholas slowly drank the potion, feeling his strength return and the pain in his chest fade away.

"Better, whelp?" Aela asked the teen, a note of concern in her voice.

"Much better...thanks," Nicholas said to Aela, who smiled at the teen.

"For a new blood, you fought very well back there. I am proud to have you as a Shield-Brother, Nicholas," Aela said as she helped the teen get back to his feet. Nicholas blushed and rubbed the back of his head sheepishly.

"Thanks...that means a lot to me, actually." Nicholas looked around and noticed the body of Maurice and shuddered.

"Such is life, in Skyrim. Many hard years under the snow can be ended in an instant. Everyday's a struggle, every moment is fought for...but we cherish it all the while," Aela said in a quiet voice, looking up towards the sky with a small smile on her face.

"I guess you learn to appreciate what you have when it's all you know, huh?" Nicholas asked Aela, who nodded. The archer tended to her own wounds for a few minutes, drinking down some healing potion herself before looking towards Maurice.

"We'll have to get him back to Whiterun. We can't let him fester out in the cold, and it wouldn't be proper to go to the inn while he waits for us," Aela said as she walked over to Maurice's body. She closed his eyes and looked at Nicholas and said "Try to find one of the horses. I think I saw them run towards the river."

* * *

_Several Hours Later:_

_Whiterun:_

"Thank God we're back," Nicholas muttered as he trudged into the city. They had dropped off Maurice's body to one of the Guard's, who had explained to them that Maurice had family elsewhere in Skyrim. They would keep his body in the Hall of the Dead so it could be collected and returned to High Rock, the home of the Bretons. Nicholas and Aela both said their own somber farewells to the man before returning to Danica with the sapling in hand.

"Oh my word...is this truly a sapling from the Eldergleam?" Danica said with excitement.

"Yeah, it is. Just take it please." Nicholas said as he shoved the sapling into Danica's hands. She momentarily forget about the sapling and gave Nicholas a confused look.

"Did something happen during the trip?" Danica asked.

"Oh no, it went just fine, if you don't count that the Eldergleam tried to kill us, and the Dark Brotherhood tried to kill us, and then Maurice got killed by them," Nicholas said bitterly. Aela placed a hand on his shoulder and squeezed it for a moment, trying to comfort the teen. It wa the first comrade he had lost in battle, and it wouldn't be the last during his time here.

Nicholas sighed and he nodded slightly Danica. "Sorry...Its been a rough few days and I wasn't expecting the quest to turn out so badly."

"I'm deeply sorry Nicholas, I hadn't realized these events would happen." Danica apologized. "All was not in vain though, we are finally able to restore the Gildergreen."

"Yeah, that is a positive to all this…" Nicholas mumbled. Nicholas turned away and said, "I'll see you some other time, Danica. Good luck with the sapling."

Without waiting for a reply, Nicholas walked out of the temple and sighed deeply. Aela walked out after Nicholas and said, "Are you going to be alright, Nicholas?"

"Maybe. I don't know, Aela. I mean, I had to kill before, and while I hate that...its necessary. People can't be reasoned with in this world, and sometimes you have to take a life...But seeing someone die like that...someone who was a friend, an ally...it hurt," Nicholas said quietly as he rested his hand on his sword.

"Makes me wonder if I truly belong in this place after all. You all don't seem to be bothered by the death and chaos here...Maybe I don't have the stomach for it," Nicholas said as he began walking away from the temple.

"I wouldn't say that. You've adjusted rather well to this world, and while you may be a bit of an oddball, you've certainly become an important part of Companions."

"You think so?" Nicholas asked Aela, turning to face her.

Aela smiled in response and said, "Follow me."

The pair walked past the Eldergleam Tree to Jorrvaskr and around the back, only to see a majority of the Companions gathered in the courtyard. In the middle of them all, was Kodlak, Vilkas, Farkas, and Skjor. Aela walked up and joined them, and told Nicholas to stand in the middle of them. Nicholas looked at each of the men and women around him with a confused expression on his face.

"Uhh...what's happening?" Nicholas asked Kodlak as he walked over to Nicholas, a small smile on his face, but when spoke it was to all of the Companions gathered together outside.

"Brothers and sisters of the Circle...today we welcome a new soul to our mortal fold," Kodlak said, his voice projecting several emotions, the most noticeable was pride. "This young man has endured, has challenged, and has shown his own valor. Who will speak for him?"

"I stand witness to the courage of the soul before us." Aela said proudly to Kodlak.

"Would you raise your shield in his defense?"

"I would stand at his back, so the world might never overtake us."

"And would you ready your bow in his honor?"

"It stands ready to meet the blood of his foes."

"And would you raise a mug in his name?"

"I would lead the song of victory as our mead hall reveled in his stories."

"Then the judgement of this Circle, and the Companions, is complete! His heart beats with fury and courage that have united us all since the days long passed! Let it beat with ours now, so that the mountains will tremble and echo at the call!"

"It shall be so!" All of the Companions around the courtyard said in unison, with erupted into cheers and applause afterwards. Nicholas looked all around him, at the people that cheered his name and clapped for him. Everybody around him was an extension of him now. He had a new family in the land of Skyrim. Nicholas smiled for the first time in days as Kodlak walked forward and placed a hand on his shoulder and said, "No matter what, you belong here, Nicholas. You've become part of our pack, and we wouldn't trade a soul like yours for anyone in Skyrim."

"You really mean that?" Nicholas said quietly, earning a nod from the old warrior.

"You've been through a tough time, young man. You may be from another world, another life...But you have a new life here, now. A life of honor, valor, and courage. A life where your foes will flee in terror once the see you approaching, and one where in life and death, the Companions will always be with you, and you with them." Kodlak said with pure pride and hope.

Nicholas smiled at the man, and wiped away a few tears of joy that his trickled down his face. "Thank you Kodlak, for everything."

"Your welcome Nicholas. Now, what say we go enjoy a couple mugs and sing the songs of honor inside." Kodlak smiled again and walked forward with Nicholas into Jorrvaskr.

Everything had changed for Nicholas in just a matter of weeks. He was brought into a new land, but already has proven himself as a warrior. He has faced foes, made an enemy, but most importantly, he is not alone. He is part of a collection of warriors, a new family. But he will not stop his search for his friends. He knows they're out there, and Nicholas will find them.


	11. Ensnared By Shadows

**Scattered By Destiny**

* * *

AN:

_FlygonNick: Alright, so that was a pretty big delay for this chapter._

_JC785: My own fault as it is. I've had a lot more shit go on this summer, and it's really been getting to me._

_FlygonNick: More or less, we've both just been busy. I've got so little time on my hands nowadays, what with my new job and my work with the Freelancer Collaboration, on top of my own story to work on. _

_JC785: And I've gotten a new job, which is pretty cool. It just leaves me pretty tired. That said, we're trying to work on allocating our time so we can get out chapters somewhat quicker. Not going to promise anything, but we're doing what we can._

_FlygonNick: So here's how this is going to work. Obviously, Nicholas will be the main character and his story follows that of the Companions, and that so far you've seen his story. _

_Over the course of the next six chapters, you'll see two part chapters playing out for the three main protagonists of this story, John, Joe, and Jess. (Yes, they all have J names. Yes that's a weird coincidence.)_

_After that, the main story begins and you're in a treat as the action begins. _

_Shoutout to Omega Gilgamesh and Dunka99 for reviewing last chapter and the update._

_FlygonNick and JC785: Enjoy the chapter!_

* * *

**Chapter 11: Ensnared by Shadows**

**By: JC785 &amp; FlygonNick**

* * *

_Several Weeks Ago:_

The ground was cold and wet, as far as Joe could tell. His body was slowly waking up, his senses finally coming back to him. Joe felt sore all over, and moaned in pain a bit as he pushed himself up off the ground. He finally opened his eyes and saw his surroundings. He was in a thick forest, with fog surrounding the area, and pine trees so high he could barely see the sky. He had woken up on a stone pathway, with no one in sight.

"H..hello?!" Joe shouted out, looking around for signs of civilization. "Anybody?!...Somebody?!"

All he was met with was the silence of the forest. The silence was almost defining. Joe wondered where the animals were, but he then remembered about his friends.

"Nick, John, Jess...Anyone!?" Joe shouted out once more. He was once again met with silence.

"Where the hell am I anyway?" Joe muttered as he looked around once more. Pine trees surrounded him on all sides and he could tell that a storm was coming, based on the dark clouds overhead.

"I need to find some cover," Joe said as he began walking, taking a moment to remember the spot he had arrived at. He'd come back here in an hour, if he couldn't find anything.

The stone pathway he was on seemed to curve a lot, never really going in a single direction. The storm clouds only got closer as Joe continued to search for cover. Finally, the sky seemed to open up over the young teen, and he quickly became drenched.

"Well this is just freaking perfect." Joe grumbled to himself. He started to run and decided to try somewhere off the path. He turned onto a dirt path and ran along that way for a bit. Soon, he came to a clearing with a small pond at the far end. Off to the left, there was a small rock formation with a canopy. Joe ran towards the dry area and made it as a thicker batch of rain came down.

"Now I just gotta wait this out….nice." Joe sighed and turned around, only to come face to face with a solid black door. "...Ok...this is new…."

The door was a few feet taller than Joe was, with dark carvings on it, such as a giant skull, a skeleton, and dozens of skeletal heads. A bloodied red handprint was on the giant skull, with a red circle surrounding the handprint. There was a handle, so Joe tried pulling and pushing the door opened, but neither worked.

"Great. Damn thing is locked," Joe swore as he punched the door with hand, which did nothing except send a wave of pain through his knuckles.

Just then, a faint voice spoke to him. "_Hva er musikk av livet?" _

Joe turned around, expecting the voice to be behind him, but the only thing there was the ever silent pine forest that surrounded him on all sounds.

"Ok...looks like I'm already going crazy." Joe said to himself as he turned back towards the door.

"_Hva er musikk av livet?_" The voice from nowhere spoke to him again. As Joe looked towards the door, his mind started to become fogged slightly. His eyes took on a light green color, and he spoke in a voice that was not his own.

"Bǫgn…" A voice from Joe's lips whispered to the door. Suddenly, locks coming from the door could be heard shifting, unlocking.

"_Velkommen, bror_." The door then slowly slid open. Joe's eyes finally returned to normal, and he looked to see the door was open.

"How...did that happen.." Joe continued to look at the door for a few more seconds, before he pulled it open and walked inside.

The door lead to a carved out cave, with staircases that lead downwards. Joe walked down them to come to an office looking area, with a desk, book shelves, and a fireplace. All the writing on all the objects was unreadable, so Joe continued downwards. He then came to an open, but decorated cavern. Against the far wall, above a waterfall, was a stained glass picture, with another giant skull. Under the skull, were tiny people, with the images of they flesh melting, or their bones being ripped away.

"What the….wait…" Everything here looked familiar in a way. The connection was so close, but he was interrupted.

"Vel, vel, vel. Hvat eiga vér fikk hlyða?" A voice suddenly spoke up.

Joe turned around and was suddenly blinded by a red flash of light. He clutched his eyes in pain, only to feel a pair of strong arms grab him and throw him to the ground.

"Tillit líki sumr lítt kið hitta órr hǫrgr. Ek munu mœta hann." A gruff man's voice said before Joe heard the sound of metal shifting around. Joe managed to get enough of his eyes open to see a massive battleaxe being raised over a large figure's head.

"Vent. Ser på ham. De klærne, symbolene. Han ser ikke ut som han er fra rundt her, gjør han?" A woman's voice spoke up.

"Hmph."

"Banke ham ut. Vi kan ta ham andre steder og se hvorfor denne fremmede har kommet til vår hǫrgr." The woman said again, her words sounding like gibberish.

"Who...are you two?"

"Heh. Jeg kan få bak." The man grunted as he put the axe back on his back. Joe's vision slowly began to adjust, just in time for him to see the man grab him by the neck, lift him into the air, and slam him against the door, bashing his head hard enough against it to knock him out.

_..._

"Where...am I...now?" Joe mumbled weakly, slowly opening his eyes.

"Oh don't worry. Your warm, safe, and very much alive," A woman's voice spoke up from within the shadows. Joe slowly pushed himself up off of the bed and found himself in a dilapidated shack that looked like it had seen its prime about thirty years ago. Joe turned his head towards the voice and was surprised by what he saw.

Two figures stood there, clad in a black and red armor of sorts with black cowls over their faces. Both of them were slender, though one of them was obviously not human in the least, given that had had a long green tail sticking out of him. This figure had a gleaming steel sword belted at his waist and was staring at Joe with interest. The other figure, the woman, looked like a regular human to him. She was staring at Joe with what he realized was amusement in her eyes.

"Who are you both? W-what am I doing here?" Joe demanded as he rolled out of the bed and fell to his knees. He felt weak, exhausted, and sick. Almost like he was…

"I wouldn't move too much, young one. The poison we gave you will kill you faster, should you move too much. As it stands, you only have a few more minutes before Sithis takes you." The green-tailed man spoke in a strange voice. Joe wondered just where the hell he was, to where strange people with tails were a regular thing.

"Kill me? Why would you want to kill me? Where the hell am I!? Who are you!?" Joe demanded, anger and desperation in his voice.

"Interesting...OK, we'll tell you what you want to know, if you tell us what we want to know." The woman spoke in a low voice, though Joe could tell she was smiling underneath her cowl.

"What do you want to know?" Joe asked the woman, calming down for a moment. Getting angry while as weak as he was wouldn't do him any good. He needed answers...

"What's your name?" The woman asked politely. Joe frowned, but decided to play their game for now. Its not like he had a choice…

"My name is Joe. Pleased to meet you guys." Joe said dryly to the warriors, who all laughed in reply.

"At least he's got a sense of humor." The man chuckled.

"Indeed. Now, you ask a question, and we'll see if we can answer." The woman said to Joe.

"Alright...Where am I?" Joe asked the woman, but he received an answer from the man.

"You're in the land of Skyrim, just outside of Ustengrav. As for who we are, that is of no consequence to you right now. Just know that we have the means and ability to end your life at any moment, but curiosity has stayed our hands for now. And as for why we want to kill you...well, it's simply what we do." The man said to Joe, who felt a shiver run down his spine.

"S-Skyrim? How...that's not possible…" Joe muttered as he felt a stab of pain through his stomach. Whatever the duo in front of him had given him was certainly doing its job, that's for damn sure.

"How is it not possible?" The man with a tail asked.

"Y..you're not real...none of you should be real!" Joe yelled at the two adults, who both exchanged a look.

"Festus, what do you think?" The woman said after a long pause. Joe turned his head and saw another figure, a elderly man with a wrinkled face dressed in a black and red cloak with his head uncovered, move from his place off the wall.

"Well, there are traces of magic around him. Ancient magic, the likes that we've not seen for hundreds of years. I saw that portal in the sky as I passed through the plains by earlier today, and I saw a streak of light head right towards where our Sanctuary is...So it stands to believe that this child is special, for one reason or another."

"Is there a way to confirm your thoughts?" The woman asked the elderly man named Festus.

"There is...I didn't do it earlier out of a small sign of respect, but now I'm more curious to find out who this one is." Festus said as he walked towards Joe with a small smile on his face. Joe had time to slowly inch himself away from the man before he suddenly felt a terrible wave of pain rush through his skull. He felt flashes of life appear in bursts as his eyes rolled into the back of his head, all the while hearing the man speak in his mind.

"_Fascinating! You come not only from another world, but another time! What knowledge you must have, even as a child!_" Festus said with amusement in his voice as he sifted through Joe's memories.

"_G...get out o..of my head!_" Joe yelled as he fell onto the floor, convulsing in agony as the man dug deeper.

"_Aw, look at him. He's being picked on by the other kids. Looks like he's not a popular one, is he?_" Festus cackled, causing Joe to open his eyes slowly and glare at the man.

"_Shut the fuck up! You don't...have the right...to look in my head!_" Joe spat out.

"_Please. I can do whatever I want, now that I'm in your head...Hmm, your friends seem to like you at least. They accept your flaws because they see you for who you really are. Bah, this is getting too sentimental for me!_"

"Anything else? Maybe about how he got here?" The man asked Festus, who had apparently been speaking to his friends via telepathy as well. Festus nodded and Joe felt another stab of agony through his head, causing him to let out a scream of agony as he relived the night of the football game, when the dragon attacked. Seeing the dragon once more made him realize one thing…

He wasn't in Bradburn County, Florida...No...He was Skyrim. Alone, forsaken, and at the mercy of three very powerful people who could kill him in an instant.

"Curious...very, curious…" Festus muttered as he pulled out a vial from his robes and tilted Joe's head back with ease, dumping the contents of the vial into Joe's mouth. Joe felt his body shudder for a moment before warmth bloomed through his body and the pain faded away. Joe blinked several times before the man snapped his fingers impatiently and said, "Well, don't just stand there. Help me get him back on the bed."

"Well, that was a sudden change in attitude. Did you find something of interest?" The man asked.

"Oh...this changes everything, Veezara…" Festus said after a moment. The other man carefully picked the tall teen up with ease and set him down on the bed. Joe sat up and shook his head, feeling still rather weak.

"It seems as though, according to his memories, he and some of his friends were summoned here by a dragon," Festus said with a wide smirk on his face, sounding very pleased by this.

"A dragon? But how is that possible? Haven't they been dead for years?" Veezara asked Festus, who shook his head.

"Apparently not. The child's memories do not lie, and my probing suggested that he was not hallucinating either. I'm just glad I had a translation spell worked out before I trekked out here, otherwise we would've killed him for nothing" the man said with a smug look on his face.

"Alright, hold the phone. I'm confused as hell," Joe said as he tried to get to his feet, only to feel the point of a sword against his throat. Joe's eyes went to the man known as Veezara, who had pulled out his sword and had it at Joe's neck quicker than he had even seen.

"Now now, we won't be having any of that. You're coming with us, so that we can make sense of what I just saw in your head," Festus said with a smirk on his face.

"Like hell I am! Who are you all!?" Joe asked again as he looked to each of his captors.

"We'll have time for questions later. For now, we need to get back to the Sanctuary before Arnbjorn starts to worry," the woman said as she hopped off of the bookcase she was resting on and landed lightly on the ground. Joe had time to glance at the three adults in the room before Veezara swiftly moved his arm and Joe felt a sharp pain in the back of his head…

And he knew no more.

_..._

Joe awoke, for the third time that day, in a small dirt pit.

"Oh look! He's woken up!" A small girl's voice suddenly spoke up.

"Careful, child. We were given orders not to harm him...yet," a voice Joe recognized as Veezara spoke up.

"Maybe, maybe not. But I still think that we could introduce him to Liz."

"I don't think that's wise. Keeping him in her pit should suffice. Letting your Frost Spider out for some air will be good for it, I-" Veezara began to say before Joe opened one of his eyes a fraction. Above him were a small red-haired haired girl in a red, white, and blue dress.

"Uuuggh...Why do I keep getting knocked out? This shit's getting old." Joe said in a frustrated tone. He then sat up and looked up at the pair of people.

"Oh, look, he's awake now!" The little girl said with excitement and sarcasm.

"Yes Babette, I can see this." Veezara rolled his eyes and looked down at Joe. "Hello prisoner."

"...Sup?" Joe said as casually as he could

"I...uhh….what?" Veezara looked confused by Joe's greeting. This made Babette giggle a bit.

"I think he means 'hello', though I have to say that's the weirdest way to say it I've ever heard," Babette laughed.

"Hmmm...I'm going to go get Astrid. Keep our guest occupied, will you?" Veezara asked the girl, who nodded and shooed away the lizard man with her hand.

"So, little girl-" Joe began to say before she cut him off.

"My name is Babette. And I'm no little girl," the girl said as she smiled widely at Joe, revealing a set of sharp teeth...perfect for puncturing a neck.

"You're...you're a…" Joe stammered in horror as he tried to move away from her, with little luck. Babette's laughed at Joe's terror and pointed at Joe.

"You need to work on your speech problem. Yes, I'm a vampire. I've been one for longer than most beings have been alive, so remember that the next time you speak to me that way...then again, you should probably be careful talking to anyone here like that," Babette laughed again.

"Where the hell am I? Why did you bring me here?" Joe asked the vampire, who shrugged.

"I wouldn't know. Festus seemed excited about you and said that you have to live. That's the only reason I haven't fed you to my spider yet," Babette said with a shrug.

"_Shit...this is bad. I'm out of the frying pan and into the fire...What the wizard guy saw in my head was interesting enough for a bunch of killers to keep me alive…" _Joe thought before the girl turned around for a moment.

"Babette, leave us alone with the prisoner for a few minutes, would you?" A familiar woman's voice spoke up. Babette cast a glance back at Joe, a smirk on her face, before walking out of sight. A black and red armored figure walked into sight then, and Joe recognized her as the woman from last night.

"Sleep well?" The woman asked Joe, who glared up at her.

"I've slept better. Can I get some answers before I get knocked out again?" Joe asked the woman, who laughed again.

"Maybe. But first, let's get those bindings of of you and get you something to eat. And then we can discuss what's going to happen to you," the woman said to Joe as she leapt into the pit and pulled out a long dagger from her belt with a dark red grip and a greyish purple blade. It glowed faintly red before it sliced through Joe's bindings like they were made of paper.

Joe scrambled away from the woman, who chuckled as she stood to her full height, flipping the dagger in her grasp before she nimbly leapt out of the pit like it was nothing.

"Come, young man. We've much to talk about over dinner."

"Can I have a name, at least?" Joe asked the woman as he got to his feet, rather shakily.

"I am Astrid." The woman said at last.

"I'm Joe. I'd say it's a pleasure to meet you, but...you know." Joe trailed off, earning a shrug.

"Be glad we didn't kill you back when we found you, Joseph," Astrid said as she watched Joe clamber out of the pit.

"And I'm guessing being held here against my will is a lot better?" Joe said as he stood to his feet.

"Would you rather we kill you?" Astrid asked seriously.

Joe just looked at her for a moment while the color drained from his face. He then looked forward again and fidgeted. "So whats for dinner?"

Astrid just smirked and walked forward again. "Roasted venison with steamed potatoes."

"Well, at least the food here is about the same," Joe said as the two walked into the dining room. The area was rather large, with a table set for 8 in the middle. Off to the sides were different cabinets with different foods in them. A large fire with a cooking rod was set up as well, and a variety of herbs and spices hung down from above.

"Holy crap…" Joe said quietly.

"You sound impressed," Astrid said with an amused smile on her face.

"Well, when you appear to be living in a cave, you don't expect elegance."

"Fair enough." She walked towards the cooking rod and helped prepare the meat. Another person walked down some stairs at the opposite end on the wall. This person wore red clothing with a leather vest on, and lose tan pants. A scimitar was clipped to his belt, and Joe knew that its fair share of death and bloodshed. The man smirked as he looked towards Joe and said,"Ah, it appears we are having a guest with us tonight?"

"Don't be rude Nazir, introduce yourself." Astrid said to the man with a slightly larger smile, as if she was trying not to laugh..

"Of course." The man named Nazir walked forward and held out his hand. "Hello there, I'm Nazir. And who are you?"

"I'm Joe." he then reached out his hand to shake Nazir's, but Nazir then pulled his hand away with a small smile on his face.

"Rule number one kid, never shake hands with a stranger." Nazir then pulled his sleeve back, to reveal a jet black dagger that glowed bright blue for a moment before reverting to it former color.

"Oh...ok." Joe put his hand back to his side and watched as Nazir walked up to Astrid and spoke to her. As he stood by himself, the faint voice from before spoke again.

"_Do not worry child. They will not harm you. You are too important_."

"What the?!" Joe turned around again, only to be met with nothing. Astrid and Nazir looked up at him with questioning looks.

"What bothers you, boy?" Nazir asked.

"I...nothing….just hearing things." Joe then just kept silent about the matter. Nazir looked at him for another moment before he took a place at the table. Others started to come into the room as well. Familiar faces entered, like Babette, Festus, Veezara. New faces entered as well, like a woman with dark pale looking skin, and red eyes. The other person was a large blonde man with armor similar to Astrid's, only there were no sleeves, and the man didn't have any footwear on.

"Ah, fresh meat." The large blonde man said.

"You know, I've gotten the whole 'oh, you're new here' spheal, so you're kinda late." Joe replied in a snarky tone.

"Watch your tongue boy! You wouldn't like me when I get mad." The man snapped at Joe, who grit his teeth for a moment in anger before he spoke.

"Oh, look at me! Me big blonde man get mad. Blonde man smash!" Joe snapped at the man, his patience finally running out. Joe then realized that, once again, he had said something he really shouldn't have.

The room was silent after that, with all the others looking at them. Nazir was the one to break the silence, with a loud laughter that filled the halls of the murderer's den.

"I've got to say, he nailed you spot on, Arnbjorn." Babette giggled as the man scowled at Joe.

"I say we drag this kid to the main entrance and teach him some manners!" The large man snarled as he got to his feet, only to be stopped by Astrid giving him a look. She shook her head for a moment before the big man sighed and sat down.

"As hilarious as that was, I'd recommend not angering him again." Veezara chuckled as the assassins calmed down.

"I'll keep that in mind." Joe muttered as Astrid began distributing the food to each of them.

Joe's stomach rumbled in hunger, but before he could reach for a fork the red-eyed woman spoke up and said, "I have to admit, I haven't seen someone like him in all my travels."

"What do you mean, I look like….ok, fair enough." Joe said as he looked at the collection of people surrounding the table, and realizing since he got there that he was the odd man out.

"Yeah, that brings up another question, why is he here?" Nazir spoke up, part of a roll of bread in his mouth.

"Chew your food, you're worse than the dog." Veezara joked, earning a laugh from a few others, including Joe. Arnbjorn started to growl once more, but Astrid gave him another look, and he silenced once more.

"I may as well explain why this young man is here, and not rotting in the forest. A short while ago, Astrid and Arnbjorn found inside the Sanctuary, seeking shelter from the rain. Normally, this would result in his swift death and we would forget about the matter. But Astrid saw the strange attire he was wearing and unusual language he spoke, plus the fact that he knew the password to enter, and decided to investigate him." Festus began as he got up from his chair.

"Veezara and I accompanied Astrid to our special spot in the north, you know the one." Festus said with a nod to his compatriots, who nodded. "I used a spell of my own design to allow him to speak in and understand our language, and so we began to learn who he was...and what we found was anything beyond our wildest dreams." Festus said with a smirk on his face as he stared at Joe.

"This young man is from another world. Brought here by one of the dragons of the ancient past. One of the greater dragons, a beast of enormous strength and power, who had the ability to tear a hole through time and space itself." Festus continued, causing the assassins at the table to look at Joe with awe.

"I...I'm at a loss for words." Veezara murmured.

"So, he's from another world? I find that very hard to believe." Nazir said as he took a drink from his cup.

"I saw it through his own memories, and they were true. This man is special, and I believe he was sent to our doorstep for a reason. But we can't ignore something like this when it's been thrown into our faces." Festus replied.

"So what do you think we should do with him?" Babette piped up.

"I believe that this young man, in any other situation, would be hard-pressed to adapt to a brand new world with new customs, history, and environments that he isn't used to. On top of that, he may just prove useful should his arrival be the beginning of something else." Festus said to the others.

"What do you mean?" Astrid asked Festus.

"In my genius, I have discovered the means to scry the future, with some success. While it isn't clear or exact, I have determined that the dragon that attacked Joseph in his world will indeed return to our own shortly. Within five years, to be precise." Festus said as his smile faded.

"Five years before a dragon comes to Skyrim...interesting…" Astrid murmured.

"So, I believe that this young man should stay within our circle for now. With the knowledge of his world, one more advanced than this one, he could prove useful to us. That's all I have to say on the matter." Festus said as he sat back down and began eating.

The other remained silent for a while, the only noise of them eating. Joe ate the food carefully, hoping he wouldn't get poisoned again. After a few minutes, Astrid stood up, and the eating stopped. All the eyes followed her, as he walked over to Joe's chair, and looked down at him.

"Listen now, because you have a choice. We've been on the hunt for some new blood, figuratively speaking, for our group. Fresh recruits with a keen mind and who have no qualms about killing. You, however pure, have a keen mind. You know many things that we don't, and in these...uncertain times, we should not ignore someone like you." Astrid began to say.

"What's my choice?" Joe said quietly.

"I offer you a place with us. The Dark Brotherhood. A group of elite assassins that eliminate those judged by Sithis to be sent to the Void. You were destined to come to our door, Joseph. You were destined to meet us...To join us." Astrid said with a small smile.

"Sounds a bit too...philosophical for your tastes." Joe remarked with a small smile.

Astrid smirked and said, "Perhaps. Still, whether it be fate or a fluke, the choice remains the same. You can join us, and help us reclaim our former glory...or we take you back to that pit, and have Festus do whatever he wants to tear the information out of your mind before disposing of what's left behind to Babette's pet spider, Liz."

"But I'm not a killer." Joe interjected, but Astrid simply smiled.

"Not yet. But maybe after time, you can become one. We can train your mind and body to eliminate your morality, so that you can focus on what you need to do. It won't be easy, as you're still a child at heart, but with time and effort, I can tell you'll be a welcome addition to our group." Astrid continued.

Joe sighed and closed his eyes, contemplating his fate. He was in a land of monsters and warriors, where magic and fantasy had come to be real. None of this made sense, but he...was in Skyrim. He had to find his friends, and here was a chance to help him…

A team of assassins he could join, who could help him adapt to Skyrim and its ways and help him find his friends, if they were still alive. Not exactly the most moral choice, but it was the only one he had.

But then...he would have to kill.

He'd have to wet his hands with blood. He'd have to learn how to shut off his sense of morality and...do the deed. Send people to their deaths for simple coin...He wasn't sure if he could do it.

But if he didn't, then he faced death.

He had little choice...but to go along with it...At least for now.

"Alright, alright...I'll join you." Joe said with a defeated sigh.

"Excellent...I knew you'd make the right choice in the end, Joseph." Astrid said as she extended a hand towards Joe, who starred at it for a moment, feeling sick. He was selling his soul to the devil...this was the price of living in a place like this.

"If I do this...I want you to promise me one thing." Joe said to Astrid, who raised an eyebrow.

"You're not in a position to bargain, but I'll humor you. What's the promise?" Astrid asked.

"That you help me find my friends, and that I'll never have to harm them or any innocents when I join you," Joe said to Astrid, who smiled.

"I can't agree to that. The friends thing, sure. It won't be too hard to look for them. As for the killing innocents, I'm afraid I can't budge on that one. We do as the clients demand, and sometimes the innocent have to die. Was it not the same in your own world?" Astrid said to Joe, who scowled at her logic, but he didn't say she was wrong.

"I'm not a murderer!" Joe growled at Astrid.

"Not yet. But we can change that easily…" Astrid trailed off with a wide smile. She snapped his fingers and said to the Veezara, "Bring me that enchanted longbow and the iron arrows out of our weapons storage. We're going on a trip, come tomorrow."

"W-what?" Joe said to Astrid, who smiled widely.

"We'll need to sate your appetite for blood. That's easy enough to do. Now...back to the matter at hand. Shake my hand and join us...or be sent to the Void." Astrid said to Joe, who closed his eyes and took a deep breath. He slowly reached across the table and grasped Astrid's hand, shaking it slowly.

"Perfect...Now, I believe that it's time for us to rest from today's events. Tomorrow, we can take you for a little trip, and...see you in action...Brother." Astrid said with a triumphant smile.

"We've got beds just up the stairs. The one to the far right isn't being used, so just fall right in it," Babette piped up cheerfully. Joe pushed his chair out and walked up the wooden stairway, feeling like he was going to throw up. He fell into a somewhat comfortable bed, pulling a blanket over his face and curling into a ball.

"What have I done?..." Joe whispered, closing his eyes as a tear rolled down his face. He cried himself to sleep that night, alone and forsaken and surrounded by murderers in a world that was not his own.


	12. Chipping Away At The Soul

**Scattered By Destiny**

* * *

_AN: _

_JC785: Hey there fellow readers and reviewers, JC785 here. Sorry for the late update, the continuation of life has been constantly slapping me in the face. But now, I've got a lot more motivation that I've had in awhile, so I'm gonna start getting back into the swing of things. _

_To make up for the very big delay, I've got an announcement. As of right now, I'm working on Chapter 13, and should have it posted within the next few days. To the people that still follow this story, I hope this will make up for my very long absence. To any new people reading the story, leave a review if you liked it, or start following._

_Shoutout to Dunka99, yes, strudel, and Rol-Yolos-Briin._

_Enjoy the Chapter!_

* * *

**Chapter 12: Chipping Away At The Soul**

**By: JC785 &amp; FlygonNick**

* * *

"Wake up boy!"

Ice cold water suddenly hit Joe's body, instantly waking up from his slumber. He quickly rolled out of bed and fell on the floor, rubbing his arms to try and warm himself up. Arnbjorn looked down on him with a smirk on his face and a wooden bucket in his hands.

"What the hell was that for?!" Joe yelled up at him.

"Two reasons. One, I don't like you. And two, that's payback for that comment yesterday. Now get up." Arnbjorn dropped the bucket at Joe's feet and turned around.

"And if I don't?" Joe retorted.

"The next bucket will be filled with poison that turns your skin to ash."

"And with that, I shall follow you." Joe then got to his feet. His band uniform was still soaking wet, and in the cold cavern, his skin was only getting more cold to the touch. "I need dry clothes." Joe said as he walked behind the beast of a man.

"Well if you quit complaining, we'll get to that." Arnbjorn growled out as he walked into the main chamber. As Joe followed, he saw a few other going about their routines. Veezara was doing some attack on a straw and wooden dummy, his moves elegant and quick. Gabriella was sitting by the edge of the pond, eating what looked to be different colored flowers.

"_Great, less than a day in Skyrim, and I already managed to get involved with murderers and assassins,_" Joe thought to himself as he walked. His thoughts were mainly on his friends, wondering where they could be. He saw them get sucked into the vortex as well, along with him. "_I just hope they're ok…"_

"Quit falling behind." Arnbjorn barked back to Joe, pulling him out of his own thoughts. He blinked a few times before taking long strides to catch up to the large man. They made their way up the stairs to Astrid's office area. The pair came upon her, sitting at her desk and reading a piece of parchment. When she looked up, Astrid wore a small smile on her face.

"Ah, you have impeccable timing." Astrid spoke softly.

"And why's that?" Joe asked, raising his eyebrow as well.

"I have your first contract right here." She slid the paper forward, Arnbjorn grabbing it instead of Joe.

"Oh….yay." Joe said with false enthusiasm. Arnbjorn looked at the sheet for a moment before he spoke again.

"You sure about this one? Could be a bit too much for him." Arnbjorn smirked as he looked down at Joe. Joe in turn scowled at Arnbjorn and snatched that parchment from him.

"Just shut up and...ok so quick thing, I know I can understand you guys now, but I still need to learn how to read your language as well. That spell didn't help me there."

Astrid and Arnbjorn looked at each other for a moment before Astrid looked back at him with a puzzled look on her face. "We'll...make sure to do that at some point. But right now, your target is...an old woman."

Joe just stood there with the same expression on his face as before. Arnbjorn continued to smirk and chuckled at the silence.

"This feels like an insult to me." Joe finally said.

"Call it what you will welp, but if you can't even take out an old bag, then you have no place among us," Arnbjorn said before walking away. Astrid shook her head slightly at Arnbjorn before turning back to Joe.

"Don't worry about him. My husband has always had a short temper," Astrid said with a small smile.

"I can tell. So what's the details on this...assassination?" Joe asked Astrid, who smiled widely.

"We've been summoned by a young woman by the name of Victoria Sotte, a caretaker at the Honorhall Orphanage in Riften. Apparently the owner, Grelod the Kind, is rather...not kind, to the children there. Victoria has made the Black Sacrament on her, so it is our job to fulfill it," Astrid explained to Joe, who winced.

"The owner of an Orphanage? Come on...you guys are assassins. Surely you have a mission for someone who actually deserves it?" Joe said to Astrid, who grinned.

"They all deserve it, young man. Your job isn't to question why these people want others dead, your job is to fulfil it."

Joe stood in silence thinking about something that didn't make sense. He had played enough of Skyrim to find out about the possible starting quest for the Dark Brotherhood...something about killing a lady at an Orphanage...but the quest he was thinking about concerned a boy in Windhelm...not some girl somewhere else…

What was going on here?

"Veezara will get you suited up and will be keeping an eye on you for your first outing in the field. Do not disappoint us." Astrid said to Joe, who nodded before Astrid dismissed him. Joe walked away with a heavy heart, knowing that soon enough he would taking another life by his own hands...

...

Joe looked at his new clothing in the body mirror in front of him. The Dark Brotherhood armor he was given was rather elegant in its design. Belts and buckles surrounded his chest, waist, and legs. Patches of dark red were designed into the fabric, also being lined with a light layer of leather. The cowl that went over his head reminded him of the hood from Assassin's Creed, and the mask covered his mouth and nose. On his waist were 2 Steel daggers, and on his back was an iron sword.

"So, what do you think?" Nazir said as he stood by Joe's side. Veezara stood there as well in the back, reading a piece of parchment.

"Well...not many words you can use to describe that you look like a killer." Joe muttered as he grabbed his dagger and regarded it for a moment before looking at Veezara as he rolled up the parchment and stuff it into a pouch at his waist.

"It seems as though this is a fairly straightforward contract. We meet with the client at the Bee and Barb Inn in Riften, to discuss the job. Looks like a pretty simple one, but then again we can't afford to take risks."

"How long will it take to get to where we're going?" Joe asked the Argonian.

"It'll take 4 or so days to get to Riften from here." Veezara said to Joe, who sighed. This wasn't going to end well.

"You should probably give him some training in swordplay along the way. Then again, he may not be worth the trouble. I'd wager he'll end up in a ditch in two weeks." Nazir chuckled as he walked away. Joe clenched his fists angrily before he felt a clawed hand on his shoulder.

"Ignore him. He's always been a bit of an asshole." Veezara murmured as the lizard-man walked ahead of him. He looked back at Joe and said, "I'll prep some supplies for us. You stand by the front door and wait for me. I'll be only a few minutes."

Joe nodded and walked to the front entrance, deep in thought and wondering what was going on here…

Joe's experience with Skyrim was rather limited, having only played a few hours of the game himself. He had beaten Oblivion though, and knew about the Dark Brotherhood and the world of Tamriel, so he wouldn't have too much of an issue adjusting to everything. He knew that Nicholas only played a few hours into Skyrim, so he would have a little experience, wherever he was. Jess and John concerned him more though. Neither one had ever played any of the games before and would probably be in the most danger…

A few moments later, Veezara walked out from the base. "Ready?"

"Ready as I'll ever be…"

* * *

_Four Days Later:_

"Here we are." Veezara said as he and Joe rode up to Riften on horseback. The ride to the city was long and, well a bit boring. Joe spent some time with Veezara learning how to fight with a sword and shoot an arrow, but after that, it was just small talk. He also gave Joe some small lessons on writing as well, per Astrid's orders.

The city was large, surrounded by walls on 3 sides, and the 4th being a large fishing port. Joe and Veezara walked through the front gates to the city of Riften. Joe had time to recognize it briefly for a moment, having accidentally gone to the city in his brief playthrough of Skyrim after getting arrested for a crime elsewhere, before Veezara gestured for Joe to follow him. The duo made their way into the nearby Inn and darted inside.

"Now, sit down and shut up. We wait for the contract to show up." Veezara muttered as he walked over to the barkeep, another Argonian like him but female. Joe just looked down and kept his face hidden. He was aware of how most of the people in the bar were armed to some degree, even if it was just a dagger at the waist. He felt very glad to have daggers and a sword on him, even if he had just a small idea of how to use them.

Veezara sat back down with an orange bottle of Nord mead in his hands. He took a swig of it, shuddered, and said, "Not a big fan of the stuff, but it's not that strong for me. Just something to wet the throat...We can get drunk after you butcher the hag, hmm?"

Joe nodded mutely, and with that the two lapsed into a silence that lasted several minutes before Veezara cleared his throat and Joe looked up. His eyes went to a new arrival in the bar, a teenage girl with raven-black hair and silver eyes. She wore a roughspun tunic that hung loosely around her body, and a small silver steel necklace hung around her neck. She quickly sat down at the table and looked at the two.

"H-hello. I'm sorry it took so long to get away from her. I had to help get the children to settle down after Grelod locked one of them away in the closet again without dinner." The girl apologized.

"It's alright. Now...the conditions?" Veezara said.

"O..Of course...Grelod has been horrible to the children for so long now...she beats, starves, and tortures them on a daily basis. No one is allowed to adopt the children, so most try to run away."

"Understandable." Veezara said. Joe just continued to look and listen.

"Its gotten to the point where the children...they...I can't say it." Victoria started to tear up. A small cloth was then handed to her, but not by Veezara. Joe looked at her as he held the cloth, but behind the mask, he gulped. Victoria took the cloth and dried her eyes.

"Thank you...and you are?" She asked.

"Who I am isn't important right now...what is is that I'm going to be the one to do it." Joe said quietly in reply, his voice monotone with resignation.

"O..oh.." Victoria was left speechless, while Veezara just chuckled. The young woman found her voice after a moment and continued.

"Anyway, Grelod needs to be taken care of. The people in this city refuse to do anything about it and the guards are too busy with the Thieves Guild to even bother caring...I...I had to do something, so...here we are." Victoria said rather shakily.

"The deed will be done. Do you have any additional information you can give us?" Veezara asked Victoria, who nodded.

"Grelod usually sleeps later in the evening, so that would be the best time to approach. However...I want her to be dealt with in front of the children, so she can watch their expressions as she dies. They hate her with all of their hearts, and seeing her get what she deserves would make that old crone's soul never find peace. If you're able to kill her in front of the children, I can offer you a small bonus. It's not mandatory, but I'll make it worth your while if you make her suffer." Victoria said with a wry smile.

"Your call, kid," Veezara said with a small glance at Joe, who nodded. From the sound of things, this old bat needed to be taken down a peg in front of the very kids she had tormented...However, something didn't make sense to him. He had noticed it the other day, but it still bothered him.

Now, he hadn't played Skyrim for very long, but he had heard enough to figure out which quest in the game granted him access to the Dark Brotherhood questline to know that a child from the orphanage wanted to kill the owner. Aventus Aretino was the quest-giver and the mastermind behind the fall of Grelod the Kind…

So why was he sitting here, with someone else, who wanted the same thing?

Joe mentally decided to roll with it for now and said, "It'll be done, I guess. What about the guards?"

"They won't bother. I'll be watching the entire thing go down and explain the situation to everyone once the deed is done," Victoria assured Joe.

"I'll be watching as well. Just do the deed, and we'll be set...but have fun with it." Veezara chuckled.

"OK…" Joe mumbled.

"As for payment, I have a few jewels that my parents left me when they passed away. I'd be more than happy to give them to you, as well as a few coins as well." Victoria said to Joe, who nodded.

"If that is all then, I suggest you return. The old hag will probably be wondering where you went." Veezara suggested.

"Oh...right." Victoria then got up and left the tavern. As soon as she left, Veezara turned to Joe. "Next time, keep your mind focused on the mission, instead of the person."

"Hey!...And, that can be both right and wrong." Joe replied.

"True. Now, you know what needs to happen. Just remember, clear your mind before you strike, don't hesitate."

"Hey Veezara...thank you." Joe said as he stood up. Veezara raised his eyebrow at Joe's statement.

"I don't question it, but you're welcome." Veezara offered a small smile as Joe walked out of the tavern.

The sky had turned dark quickly, the surrounding was illuminated only by lamps around the city. Joe moved quickly behind buildings to avoid the city guards, and it wasn't long before he reached the orphanage. Joe took out a small invisibility potion before he opened the door to the orphanage and stepped through the threshold.

Joe only took a few steps inside before he heard the sound of screaming children. Joe winced at the sound of a loud smack and stepped out into the open and saw a grisly scene play out before him.

"You little brat! You call this clean?!" An old woman screeched at a young boy who was cowering on the ground. The woman held a metallic leather belt in her hands and had it raised high into the air before bringing it down on the leg of the young boy on the ground, causing him to scream in pain. The woman repeated the action three more times before grabbing the child by the neck and dragging into a nearby closet and locking him inside. Joe grit his teeth at the display and felt rage course through him, but he remained still.

"That's what happens when you try and shirk your duties. Now, the rest of you, get back to work!" Grelod snarled at the terrified children, who quickly began cleaning the floors while Grelod watched with a horrible smile on her face.

"Just do it...Kill her…" Joe told himself as he grabbed one of the daggers on his belt. He saw Victoria sitting in one of the chair with a look of pure fear on her face.

"And what are you doing sitting down, Victoria?" Grelod said as she walked over to Victoria, who got to her feet hastily and bowed slightly.

"I'm sorry, Grelod. Just taking a small break after my errands earlier. I-" Grelod cut her off by grabbing the girl's hand and yanking her towards the old woman so that they were within inches of each other.

"You think I'm stupid? Getting food from the market is a simple task that even this idiotic children could do in half the time. You were meeting with a boy, weren't you!? Shirking your work, no doubt!" Grelod said as the older woman, with a surprising display of strength for a woman her age, threw her to the floor.

"No! I wasn't shirking my duties! I was-" Victoria tried to say before the belt in Grelod's hand flew downwards, hitting the girl in the shoulder and causing her to yell out in pain. Joe's body shook in rage and horror before he directed his gaze at the terrified children.

"You brats are all the same! Useless, lying, filthy children!" Grelod barked at Victoria, who shut her eyes as the belt was raised again. One of the children suddenly threw themselves at Grelod, who smacked the child in the face with the belt and sent him to the floor.

"Poor Elthis. Does it hurt? Good!" Grelod cackled before she turned back to Victoria.

"Enough is enough." Joe whispered, gripping his dagger so tightly in his hands that it hurt. Joe stepped out from behind the wall and approached Grelod from behind, not noticing that his invisibility potion had worn off. The children on the other side of the room could clearly see him, as could Victoria, but Grelod had her back turned.

"You all think I'm unjust, don't you? That I'm terrible? Bah! The world is cruel, little ones. It's a horrible place where no true justice exists. The fact that I have to deal with you lot is proof of this!"

"All they want are parents, Grelod! A loving family! They didn't choose this!" Victoria yelled at Grelod, who glared down at her once again. Joe was within feet of the woman, pulling out a second dagger and holding them both with fire burning in his eyes. Maybe it was murder. Maybe it was him taking another life...but killing was a common enough thing where he came from that, in this world of violence and danger...he could justify this killing.

Grelod the Kind would die by his blade, this night.

"And as for you, Victoria...well, you're just old enough to where I can come up with an excuse to get rid of you once and for all," Grelod said with a horrible chuckle as she raised the belt high into the air once more.

"Hey bitch!" Joe snarled as he rushed forward, wrapping an arm around the neck of Grelod and drawing his other hand back before plunging the dagger deep into her spine. Grelod let out a surprised yell of agony as blood dripped down the back of her dress.

"I hope you brought your wallet, Grelod...because the rent in hell gets paid in advance!" Joe yelled as he brought the dagger that was in the hand around Grelod's neck across her throat. Grelod's neck burst open like a tap, spraying blood on the floor as she let out a strangled gurgle of pain before Joe let her go. The old woman's body fell to the floor with a loud thud as her body twitched slightly. The old Nordic woman watched in horror as the children she had abused and beaten for so long looked on with relief and smiles on their faces. She passed into the Void feeling humiliated and with hate in her cold black heart.

Joe stood there, above the corpse of the first person her had ever killed, panting heavily. He looked down at the blood on his hands, and was surprised at how...OK he felt. He had thought that he would have hated what he had done...but seeing Grelod act the way she had...She had deserved it.

"Well...a few minutes earlier would have been nice," Victoria said with a wince as she tried to get to her feet. Joe offered her the less blood hand and she pulled herself up.

"Victoria! What's going on? Who's that nice man who killed Grelod?" One of the children asked.

"Um…" Victoria looked at Joe before he knelt down to the child that asked.

"My name is Joseph young one. You don't have to be afraid of Grelod anymore." Behind the mask, Joe was smiling.

"Thank you sir! My name is Aventus Aretino." Aventus just smiles at Joe, while Joe himself paused while looking at the child.

"_None of this makes sense, he shouldn't even be here yet!_" Joe thought to himself.

"Joseph...are you ok?" Victoria put a hand on his shoulder, and Joe snapped out of his thoughts.

"Yes, I'm fine...I should go now." Joe said as he stood up off the ground.

"Wait, I need to pay you!" Victoria rushed out of the room, and while he waited, Joe could see the smiles and happiness on the children's faces, that had probably been absent for so long. Despite his still present thoughts on what he had just done, he could already see that what he had done was...good.

A few minutes later, Victoria came back in the room with a small bag in her hands. "Here is the payment, and my family jewels as well for the bonus."

"I…" Joe wanted to push the bag back to her, tell her to keep the jewels. But he didn't know how Veezara or the others would react. "..Thank you."

Victoria offered a small smile, and before Joe could realize, she leaned in a gave him a peck on his cheek. If Joe wasn't wearing the mask, she would have seen his cheeks turn cherry red.

"I can never thank you enough for what you have done for me and the children. It will be a while before the children can start to be adopted, but now, they no longer have to live in fear every night and day. You have given them hope." Victoria's eyes started to tear up again, but they were tears of joy this time.

Joe smiled, even though she or the other children couldn't see it, and noded. "I wish you all the best. I need to leave now."

"Of course. When the guards stop by, I'll come up with a story for them." Victoria turned to the children and started tending to the injuries they had all sustained by Grelod.

Joe then turned around and quickly moved back though the entrance. It didn't take long to return the the inn and find Veezara. Veezara was talking to another Argonian standing behind the counter, but turned to face Joe when he walked in.

"The deed is done?" Veezara asked. Joe nodded his head once. "Very well. Lets leave now. The town's guards are willing to look the other way, but only for so long. Take care Keerava." The other Argonian nodded and went into the back.

As Joe and Veezara walked towards the gates of the city, it was starting to turn dark quickly. Joe turned back and looked at the orphanage for a moment, feel the light weight of the jewels on his belt.

"Hurry up, it's getting dark quickly, and i'd rather not have to ride in complete dark." Veezara turned to look at Joe, only to see he had disappeared. "Damn that kid is sneaky…"

* * *

_Later that night:_

Victoria tucked the last child in and blew out the candle in the children's room. For the first time in what seemed like forever, the children didn't cry when they went to sleep. The rooms were silent, peaceful even.

As Victoria walked into the main room, she looked over to the covered up body of Grelod, the blood long since dried up. A strange sense of happiness came over her as she looked at the body. Not in a sadistic way, but in a peaceful way. She was finally dead, she could no longer torture the children. That thought alone made Victoria all the happier.

As she stepped into her room, she noticed something out of place. The window was open, the curtains blowing lightly in the night wind. She looked around the room with worry, and went to go close the window. As she did that, she noticed a small bag on her nightstand, along with a piece of parchment underneath. Victoria picked up the bag and opened it, spilling the contents into her open palm. She was surprised to find her family jewels, so she then looked at the parchment.

"_Keep the jewels, Gerlod had enough for the extra payment._ _-J_" On the back of the note was the symbol of the Dark Brotherhood. When she saw the symbol, she didn't feel fear, but instead, felt safety and comfort.

Victoria put her family jewels in her nightstand, and blew out the candle, climbing into bed right after. As she drifted off into sleep, her thoughts turned to the assassin that saved her and the children from the torture and suffering.


	13. Blood On Your Hands

**Scattered By Destiny**

* * *

_AN: _

_JC785: Greetings everyone. So I pretty much botched the few days promise I made, but hey, it's better than a 2 month plus waiting period. I'm not even going to go into my personal stuff this time, cause it's just the same as before. Just more shit piling on top of the already massive pile of shit. _

_FlygonNick: And on my part, I've had to take a step back from things for a bit due to family problems of my own, and the fact that I simply have little time on my hands nowadays, what with my collab work, my Pokemon fic, and me now working full-time at my job._

_On that note (and because I'm a glutton for punishment), you may want to keep an eye out for a special surprise happening this January. There's nothing concrete yet, due to reasons that will be clear soon, but I will say readers who enjoy my work will be happy with this. I'm 50/50 on this happening, but if it does it'll be big._

_JC785: With that as well being said, I must announce that FlygonNick is taking a step back from writing on this story. A good chunk of the recent chapters has been him mostly, and we're both in agreement that that isn't fair to him. I will put more time to writing, (and try to pull myself away from Fallout 4, amazing game btw)._

_So I can't give a shout out to anyone, cause no one reviewed the last chapter. Hopefully that changes with this one. _

_JC785 &amp; FlygonNick: Happy Thanksgiving and Enjoy the Chapter!_

* * *

**Chapter 13: Blood on Your Hands**

**By: JC785 and FlygonNick**

* * *

_Several Weeks Later: _

The sounds of birds chirping could be heard throughout the Falkreath forest. A lone deer wandered through, bending its neck down to munch at a particular tasty part of grass. Its neck suddenly snapped back up as it heard a twig cracking in the distance. Before it could have a chance to move, a small arrow passed its way through the deer's skull, and impaled in the ground. The deer fell to the ground, never having the chance to breathe its final breath.

Off in the distance, Joe hopped down from his vantage point and walked over to his fallen prey. He hooked his crossbow back on his back and grabbed some rope from a small pouch on his hip. He smiled slightly as he tied the rope around the deer's legs and got it ready to bring back to the Sanctuary.

After his first kill, Joe had slowly become more comfortable with the thought and action of killing. He had some reservations when it was against someone that hadn't done something so bad. But if it was a local killer or tormentor, like Grelod, then Joe went for the kill with a vigor that was truly scary. The members of the Brotherhood started warming up to him as well. Veezara had become Joe's mentor in terms of swordplay and shooting a crossbow. Nazir and Babbete became more friendly with him, and trained him with poisons and potions. Nazir had been giving Joe small contracts with threats to certain areas, something that Joe didn't have much of a problem with either. Festus was still a pain at times, but he was working with Joe in the history of Tamriel and the Dark Brotherhood. Astrid kept her promise and sent out some novice assassins to gather information regarding Joe's friends, but it was turning out more difficult than expected.

Joe could be patient at times, and he was right now, but if more time went by with no results, then it would start to get to him. He hopped it wouldn't come to that.

Luckily his kill wasn't that far from the Sanctuary, so the walk back with his kill wasn't as tiresome. One of the things Joe had been improving was his muscle and stamina, which made him fill out more than he had been in his world. As he approached the door, it didn't ask the question like it had the first time he entered, so he guessed the door had memorized him somehow. Joe never told the others about the voice he heard, but he had told them about the presence that controlled him for a brief moment. They didn't have any answers, and eventually, it was forgotten about.

As he walked inside, he could hear the sound of Arnbjorn forging some more weapons at his mini forge. The Wolf Man, as Joe dubbed him, was still sour and rude to him. He was also pretty sure Arnbjorn wanted to use him as a chew toy.

Joe walked by Astrid sitting at her desk, sifting through some papers. "Hey Astrid."

Astrid looked up at him and gave him a small smile. "Hello Joseph. I see your hunt went well."

"Yeah, got some good meat for the next few nights. Has Festus returned yet?"

"No, he has not. A tad strange to say, he doesn't stay out long after a contract."

"Maybe something happened?" Joe asked.

"Best not to assume the worst before we have reason to." Astrid said, and then returned to her papers. Joe then walked down into the main cavern and saw Arnbjorn working his forge. He looked up at Joe and growled before he turned around and worked the flames. Joe just rolled his eyes and continued towards the dinning room. As he stepped into the room, he could see Nazir sitting at the table below him.

"Hey Nazir!" Joe shouted as he descended the stairs. Nazir looked up at Joe.

"Looks who's back! I trust the hunt went well." Nazir said as Joe set the carcass down on a carving table.

"It did. We're gonna have some good vension tonight." Joe replied as he donned a leather apron and started going at it on the deceased deer.

"Well tomorrow, I've got a couple new targets for you. Simple stuff this time, not like the vampire."

"Yeah, I've still got marks from that." Joe said as he rubbed his neck, where he could feel 2 small circular marks.

"Well don't worry, just a few murderers and thieves."

Joe chuckled when he heard that. "Heh, the irony."

"Something funny?"

"A bit, considering we're a band of murderers that kill murderers." As Joe said that, a smile crept onto Nazir.

"I suppose it is amusing, when you see it like that."

It took a bit for Joe to clean up the body, cut away everything unnecessary and start cooking the good meat. One thing he had excelled at back in his world was cooking. So when he came here and had to make meals, he always overdid himself and ended up making a 5 course meal for everyone. Just as he got the meat over the fire, there was a loud clatter that came from the main hall.

"What the hell…" Joe muttered to himself. Suddenly, the sounds of Astrid's voice reached both him and Nazir.

"Joe, Nazir, get in here!"

Joe quickly got the leather apron off and followed Nazir to the main cavern, where they came across a grim scene. Festus had finally arrived back, but he was laying on the ground drenched in blood, his skin paler than usual. Massive half-healed slashes, and even more that looked freshly healed, covered his arms and chest, with some of them still oozing blood. Astrid was holding his head up while Gabriella used some healing magic to finish the job. Babette ran over to the group with a healing potion and forced it down Festus's throat.

"What the hell happened?!" Joe said as he ran up to the group.

"Don't ask me, he just teleported in like this." Gabriella replied tersely.

Festus started coughing up some blood, but the coughing became less intense as the magic and potion did its work. Soon enough, he was able to start speaking. "Damn Companions...they were better than I expected. Especially that little brat with the sword."

"Well, what did you expect then?" Astrid scolded as she walked up with a disapproving start. Festus looked at her and returned the look.

"I had THOUGHT they would be easy targets. I was mistaken, and the help I had with me ended up doing little more than stall the stronger of the two." Festus grumbled.

"Then I suppose you know now to not get cocky when confronting enemies. Get him to his bed, see he has food for the night." Astrid then walked back upstairs to her quarters. Joe started to move towards the stairs as well, but Nazir put a hand on his shoulder.

"Don't."

"Festus is hurt, and she's attacking him instead of helping him, what the hell?" Joe said quietly.

"Help Festus to his room, I'll explain when you're done with that." With that, Nazir walked back towards the dining area. Joe stood there for a second before he sighed and helped Gabriella in bringing Festus to his room.

"I'll bring you some food later on. Alright?" Joe said as Festus managed to sit on his bed. The old man didn't give a reply, but simply nodded his head. Joe walked out and returned to the dining area. Nazir was once again sitting at the table, so Joe went up and sat across from him.

"Ok, I'm listening."

Nazir just sighed and began. "So I am aware that Festus has been teaching you the history of the Dark Brotherhood. But I do know he hasn't gotten to a critical area yet."

"And that would be?"

"The 4th Era, the one we are currently in. The Dark Brotherhood has always been a force to be reckoned with, a name that strikes fear into the hearts of many. But ever since the Oblivion Crisis, the Brotherhood has been suffering."

"What do you mean?" Joe was genuinely curious at this point.

"The Aldmeri Dominion has been waging a war against the Empire for some time now, and truthfully, its final days are approaching. The Thalmor have been eradicating Imperial cities, cities that have our brothers and sisters in. What's worse, they are getting closer to Bravil, home of the Night Mother."

Joe knew who the Night Mother was from Festus's teachings. The powerful symbol head for the Dark Brotherhood, she was able to communicate with whoever the Listener was at the time. "So why not have her moved someplace safer?"

"It is no easy task to do so. The Night Mother has been in her crypt since the Second Era, and to move her would be a form of disgrace. That is only a final option if the town is destroyed."

"Seems kinda risky."

"That it is. Hopefully, it will never come to that."

"So what does any of that have to do with Astrid being a bitch to Festus then?" Joe asked.

"Is it not obvious? The Brotherhood is dying." Nazir said blantly. "The Thalmor have been eradicating Brotherhood Sanctuary's all over Tamriel, destroying centuries of Brotherhood history. Skyrim is the last home for the Dark Brotherhood to be even remotely safe. That is why Astrid was harsh. She has to be, otherwise, we will all die from our own recklessness." Those last words were left haunting in the air for a while.

"Anyways, enough with the lesson. I've got some contracts for you." Nazir said, pulling some papers off of the table and handed them to Joe. "The first one is simple, just a Nord woman. The other is a savage Orc, and he's gonna be a bit more difficult to put down."

Joe looked at the documents for each one in front of him. There were no detail about the people, expect what they looked like, and where to find them.

"Best you get some rest. You'll be taking those ones on by yourself." Nazir said before he got up, slapped Joe on the shoulder, and walked to his room.

Joe let out a yawn, realizing how late it actually was. He got up and prepared some food for Festus, then took it to the old man's room. Joe's room was simply set up, with a nightstand, a dresser, and a bed. He did have a small chest off to the side, with his old band uniform, his phone, wallet, and headphones in it. Everything he had on him before he was sucked into this world.

* * *

_The Next Day:_

The morning fog coated the Falkreath Forest as Joe rode his horse through the woods south of the Sanctuary. Joe had 3 contracts today, and was hoping to get the first 2 done quickly. The third one was taking him to the outskirts of Whiterun. As much as he wanted to go into the town and find the Companion that had hurt Festus, he was under orders from Astrid not to go into the town seeking revenge.

His first contract was a woman named Angi, a Nord who had attacked 2 Imperial guards, killing one of them. The other lived, and had decided to take revenge on the woman.

As Joe rode up on the area he was told to go too, he could see that Agni had made a permanent residence in the forest. An open log cabin was in a clearing with a small fire pit in front of it. Joe got off his horse and walked up slowly, his crossbow drawn and ready. Other than the sounds of the forest, the campsite was eerily quiet.

Behind him, the sound of a twig snapping caught his attention, and Joe turned quickly. Standing before him was Angi, his target. She looked disheveled, her dress torn in multiple places, her bow pointed at Joe, but she was shaking like mad. The two stood in a standoff for a minute, neither making a move. To Joe's surprise, Angi stopped shaking, sighed, and lowered her bow.

"I guess you are here to kill me...of course you are." She said quietly, but enough for Joe to hear.

"Its nothing personal, if that helps at all." Joe said, surprising himself for saying that.

"It does not." Angi said dryly.

"Well...Sorry?" Joe replied.

"For what, accepting whatever job it was to come kill me, or the fact that you do have to kill me?"

"...Both I think. In all reality, I don't have to kill you this instant. I could catch up to you if you run, but you look like you don't even have the energy for that." Joe commented. Angi crossed her arms and gave him the stink eye. "Again, sorry."

She just rolled her eyes before went over to sit on a log in front of the fire. Joe sat across from her, a hand on one of his daggers just in case.

"So, since there's not much else to talk about...why did you try to kill those guards?" Joe asked.

Angi gave him another glare before her expression softened a bit. "Revenge."

"Huh?"

"I did it for revenge. Those guard were drunk the night they started swinging their swords. My parents tried to stop them, but unfortunately, they...received the blunt end of their swords." Angi's eyes started to tear up, but she wiped them away quickly.

"Damn. I can see your anger then…" Joe said quietly. "Still, probably should have made the second guy was dead."

"Yes, I should have…" Angi just sat in silence for a bit before she rose to her feet. Joe started to pull his blade out, but she caught the movement. "Don't get so tense. I already know my end is here. Might as well pass on some things before my time is up."

"Things like what?" Joe asked curiously.

"Things like how to shoot that crossbow in a variety of different situations. Come on." Angi walked over to a couple of straw dummies and stood in between 2 of them. Joe decided to go along with this for the moment, and stood a distance away from the dummies.

"Now, the 3 things you should always remember is composure, speed, and precision. No doubt the Dark Brotherhood has taught you how to shoot, but you won't always stand still while in combat. First, we work on speed. Try walking left and right, and try shooting the middle target while doing that."

Joe started to walk back and forth, and looked down the sights of his crossbow. His first shoot was too wide off and hit the left dummies head.

"Focus!" Angi shouted at him.

Joe readied his crossbow again and resumed walking. This time he aimed off from the target a bit, and fired. That shot hit the middle dummy in the left arm.

"Impressive. My mother always told me a target will never stay still. But there is still more. Next is composure. I will try distracting you while you shoot the left target."

Joe readied his weapon and raised it up. That is when Angi began her own assault.

"Come on, focus you Brotherhood pig! A blind elf could shoot better than you!" Angi's choice of words were impressive, but didn't make a difference. Joe had spend enough time online in his own world to know the effects of internet trolling. His shot on the target landed dead center.

"Very good. You can never panic while in battle, it will only lead to your own demise." Angi remarked.

"Not that hard when I'm already used to people shouting at me." Joe replied.

"Very well. Now the final thing is precision. I will shake the right dummy back and forth. Try to hit the dummy in the head." Angi walked behind the dummy and started shaking it back and forth. Like before, Joe aimed a bit off the center of the target, and fired when it was coming back to it previous position. Another dead center shot was made.

"Good. With these 3, shooting at targets should be easier for you… My mother taught me those important lessons… They kept me alive up until now." Angi grew silent after that. "And now… I know what must happen."

"Thank you Angi...and I truly am sorry." Joe said. Angi just nodded and stood not a foot away from Joe, closing her eyes.

"Please, make it painless…"

A response was not necessary at that point. Joe loaded an arrow into his crossbow and raised it directly at Angi forehead. He did not fire right then though. He gave Angi one last moment to listen to the nature around her, to let her feel at peace with herself. Then, he fired.

* * *

_Later:_

Joe jumped back after he sustained a blow to the face from the Orc he was facing. A trail of blood trickled down from the corner of his lip, but he only snarled and wiped it away. "That all you got you big green sack!" Joe taunted.

The Orc only roared and charged forward again, swinging its dual-axes aggressively. Joe jumped to the side and let out a stream of flames from his open palm. It did little but singe the Orc, but it was the distraction that gave Joe the advantage he needed. He charged forward as the Orc was swatting at the flames and thrusted one of his daggers into his enemy's shoulders. As the Orc cried out in anger and pain, Joe put his palm over the Orc's mouth and let the flames loose inside his body.

It was only a few seconds of resistance before the Orc's movements ceased, and he fell forward. Joe got out of the way and looked at the body for a moment before he walked away.

Joe wiped the blood off his sword and daggers as he approached his horse. He hopped on and road towards Ivarstead, hoping to get a drink at the town's tavern.

As he came up on the town, the few people that were out gave Joe a wide berth, cautious of his uniform. It didn't bother Joe a bit however, just people being scared of something they didn't understand. When Joe rode up to the tavern, he dismounted his horse and walked inside.

There weren't that many people inside when Joe walked in. Just the barkeep and a couple Nords sitting around. One of them was sitting at the counter and swinging his drink around, getting angry glares from the barkeep as he did it. Joe walked up to the counter, far away from the drunkard, and got the barkeeps attention. "Black-Briar Mead, 2 please."

The barkeep got the mead for Joe, and Joe gave the appropriate septums. As Joe was drinking, the drunkard scooted closer to Joe.

"H..Hey you…" Joe ignored the man at first, until the man shoved him off his chair. "I s..said hey!...I'm ta..talking to you…"

Joe picked himself up off the ground, his clothes soaked with his mead that had fallen on him. He gave the drunkard a death look, and the man backed up a bit. "Buddy, I've already had a shit day. You'd better have a good reason for doing what you've done."

"Y..your the Dark Bro...Brotherhood…I've been tr..trying to get you guys to k..kill this bitch...stupid bitch killed my friend…"

Joe raised his eyebrow a bit as a thought crossed his mind. "Blonde nord with a crossbow?"

The drunkard's eyes lit up a bit, but were mostly glossed over. "Yeah, t..that crazy lady killed my f..friend…." The drunkard didn't get to finish as Joe's fist launched into his face and sent the man flying back. Joe shook his fist as the drunk got up with a pissed off look on his face. "No...now you done did i..it!"

The drunk charged forward with a fist, but Joe pushed it to the side and shoved the man into a support beam, causing the man to cry out in agony. Joe turned the man around so he was facing him and began launching a barrage of fists into the drunk's face. Bits of teeth started falling out of the man's mouth, and blood was starting to flow freely down his face as Joe pummeled the man senseless. The drunk was starting to lose consciousness, so Joe dragged him by the collar to the cooking pit in the middle of the tavern. Joe knocked the pot and turner away, and slammed the drunk's face into the burning hot coals. Blood-curtling screams could be heard coming from the man, but the tavern patrons just stood and watched.

As the sounds died down, Joe dragged the drunkard off and checked to see that he was still alive. Fortunately for Joe, but unfortunately for the man, he was. Joe left him on the ground for a moment as he walked up to the barkeep.

"Sorry about that. I can pay for any damages." Joe said. The barkeep just shook his head no.

"Don't worry about that. I'm just glad someone shut him up. He's been in here the past 4 days just drinking. Honestly surprised he hasn't keeled over already."

"Still, here's a bit for the damages. And to cover whatever tab he had." Joe handed the barkeep a small bag of septums, which the man accepted.

"Thank you. By the way, the names Wilhelm. If you ever need a room for a night, there's one here for you. Also, if I hear any interesting news spread about, I'll let you know when you drop by." Joe nodded and made a turn to leave before he turned back around.

"If you ever hear anything about strangers from another world in Skyrim, let me know, will you?" Joe asked the barkeep, who blinked in surprise for a moment before nodding.

"Of course. Strange thing to ask about, but this is a strange world of ours. Nothing is impossible," Wilhelm said with a small chuckle. Joe nodded and walked out of the bar, nodding to the pretty woman playing the lute as he walked by.

Joe sighed and said, "Look at me. I'm a killer in a video game world and I've got no idea what to do...Festus says something about a prophecy coming true based on his visions, but fuck if I know what that means."

Joe walked over to his horse before he looked up towards the sun, eyeing it for a moment before pulling his hood back down. It'd take a day or two to get back to the Sanctuary, and then he'd ask Festus more. As interesting as this world was...he wanted to get home. He needed to find his friends, his last link to his homeland, and regroup with them...if they were still alive.

"No. They're still alive...Just hang on guys...I'll figure something out," Joe muttered as he hopped on his horse and began to ride towards the Sanctuary.

* * *

_The Next Day:_

"_What is the music of life?"_

"Silence, brother."

"_Welcome home."_

Joe walked through the door and made his way into the Sanctuary, nodding to Astrid as she poured over her detailed map of Skyrim.

"You took your time. That said, I can smell the blood on you. Good work." Astrid said with a wide smile as Joe deposited the reward money that he had collected. A share of it went to the Brotherhood while a portion would go to him.

"I did what had to be done. Nothing more." Joe replied shortly, pushing back his cowl. Astrid chuckled and shooed Joe away, and with that Joe departed into the main area of the Sanctuary. He nodded to Arnbjorn and made his way to Veezara, who was training against Nazir. The two swordsman seemed evenly matched, due to Veezara's skill being enough to hold his own against Nazir's experience.

"Halt!" Nazir barked as Veezara went in for a stab. The Argonian stopped his attack just as his sword came inches away from Nazir's throat. Nazir then turned to look towards Joe as he walked up. "Greetings. How did the contracts go."

"Fine. Orc got finished. Angi was buried."

"You buried her? Why?" Veezara asked.

"Because she was a victim of someone else's stupidity. She responded with revenge, but was a good person none the less. She didn't deserve that fate." Joe said coldly.

Nazir and Veezara looked at each other for a moment, then turned their gaze back towards Joe.

"Very well." Nazir said.

Joe raised his his eyebrow at this, and Veezara followed up. "Despite what the world may think of us, we're not just killers. What we do, we are simply the messengers for what other people wish on others. We are people as well. We have emotions and personalities. We are apart of one big family, and no matter what people on the outside think, we accept those that we call family."

Joe was surprised at the response, but it made sense. A small smile crept onto his face as he started walking with the others towards the dining hall. "Fair enough. Now what's for dinner? I haven't had a proper meal in the last 2 days."

"Is that really the next thing you think of after that speech?" Nazir asked.

"Nazir, back in my world, one of my nicknames was the Human Garbage Disposal." At that, Nazir and Veezara laughed, and walked with their companion, and their brother in arms.

Despite the rough beginnings, he had found a home away from home within this den of murderers. He had become a killer himself, but he would not let it become part of who he was. He knew that this was a necessary step to getting home, to finding his friends. He'd keep looking, keep searching, and get stronger along the way so he could protect them. For now, he and the Brotherhood would keep on searching.

"_Seek them out...the darkness is your friend, young one, and with it and your friends at your side...you may be able to survive what is to come."_ Joe heard someone whisper faintly in the back of his head. Joe shook his head, thinking he was hearing things again, and sat down with his new family to eat dinner, unaware of the events that were happening elsewhere in the realm of Skyrim.


	14. Story Update

Hey there guys, JC785 here. So, this update, it's not a good one.

I've decided to put the story on hiatus until I can get my shit in order. I've got way too much of an attention problem to where I don't work on chapters as much as I should. And because of this FlygonNick has left the story as my co-writer. This is my fault entirely, and I'm truly sorry on that matter. I've let you all, him, and myself down.

Maybe later on when I get my life in order, I can dedicate more time to this again, and maybe even work on The Search. But for now, this is my farewell.

Goodbye everyone. Enjoy the stories.


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